Athletes have done India proud, must focus on Olympics

Those who missed out or fell short of expectation, must have access to sports psychologists or counsellors if they need them

With the Asian Games over and done with, India’s medals century has evoked all the correct reactions, with people hailing its achievements as path-breaking, epochal and phenomenal. The praise is warranted and hats off to all the athletes who helped us enter the three-figure realm.

Having said that, we must now start looking at those who missed medals by a whisker, who simply did not figure on the podium for any reason and see if they need any help regarding their mental health to get ready for the road ahead.

With the high visibility and high stakes action, public figures, sportsmen and women included, are under tremendous scrutiny. Those who missed out or fell short of expectation, must have access to sports psychologists or counsellors if they need them.

While coaches and experts are there to analyse the loss, and eventually, work on shortcomings, a support network working on the mind is vital. Has there been a freeze and crumble moment? Was the expectation or pressure simply too much? The experts can now work with our athletes who cannot be seen as failures but haul themselves out of despair and look ahead.

We need our winners, stalwarts to look at the Paris Olympics next year and rev up for that. Every aficionado knows that there is a significant gap between the Asian Games and the Olympics when it comes to standards of performance, so the pressure will be double and competition fiercer.

Do not let that motivation, drive or hunger flag. If there is something like being just too jaded or other aspects, mental health experts can work on that too. While sport is all about winning and losing, those who were not on the podium and those who were medal prospects may just need that help. Or, they may not. Yet, it can be explored as the curtain falls on a memorable Games for India.

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