Saturday October 10th was world mental health day and previous Canadian Olympians Cartiona Le May Doan, Kyle Shewfelt and Jennifer Heil have spoken out and say that sport is an important part of helping battle the negative effects this pandemic has put on our mental health. Heil, gold medalist in the moguls said that we need to prioritize sport for mental health of young people, to get them away from their devices and connect them with their peers. Le May Doan, two-time speedskating gold medalist said that she’s worried for the lack of sport access and the suffering it will cause on mental health of everybody that usually participates. Shewfelt, gold medalist gymnast said that “physical activity and sport are essential to contributing to healthier communities overall”. These Olympic medalists said, that playing sport at the community level is what is going to help us make it through this uncertain time, but it must be done safely.
Sport has always had the ability to bring people together through physical activity, which has undeniable benefits for mental health. An article that focused on looking at the mental well-being and sport-related identities of college students stated that when people are involved with sport it gives them a social support network as well as an identify of being an athlete. The authors of the article wrote that a social network helps the mental health of participants of sport by keeping them from feeling alone and isolated which leads to detriments of their mental health. The author later stated that the athlete identity is more than just playing sport, athletes have characteristics which are approved by their peers and people in the community, this all leads to improved mental health.
Although during a pandemic it can be difficult to organize and manage sport to assure everyone involved stays healthy, if communities can get sport up and running safely there’s no doubt that it will benefit the mental health of all involved during this pandemic.
Rohan D
Sport, Not Games ⚽ 