Olympics puts spotlight on mental health in young athletes, with Prof. Alan Chu

LITTLE CHUTE, Wis. (WFRV) – At the Olympics, we watch athletes as they go through the best and unfortunately sometimes the worst moments of their lives. There have been some of those ‘worst moments’ for several high-profile athletes at the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. All the pressure of expectations can affect the mental health of these athletes, which is especially concerning for athletes who are still teenagers.

Valieva was the favorite to win the competition.

“It was tragic, it’s just a lot of pressure on the young athlete to perform,” said Alan Chu who is the chair of the master’s program in sports, exercise, and performance psychology at the University of Wisconsin- Green Bay.

Source: Olympics put spotlight on mental health in young athletes