Meditation and AI as Paris Olympics Embraces ‘Mindfulness’

AFP/APP

Paris: Three years after gymnastics superstar Simone Biles put the mental health of athletes center stage at the Tokyo Olympics, this year’s Paris Games will demonstrate how greater awareness has translated into better care and support.

Biles famously pulled out of most of her events in Tokyo mid-Games after struggling with mental health problems and the “twisties” — a disorienting feeling while in mid-air that is known to affect some gymnasts.

In the run-up to the start of Paris 2024 on July 26, local organizers, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international sports federations have been keen to stress that lessons have been learned.

“Seventy percent of Olympians only get one Olympic experience. We want to try and make sure this is the best experience they could possibly have,” Head of Safe Sport at the IOC, Kirsty Burrows, told AFP.

For the first time ever at an Olympics, competitors in Paris will have access to a “mindfulness and relaxation area” above the main gym in the village, called the “365 Athlete365 Mind Zone”.

Competitors will be offered virtual reality headsets for meditation, sleep pods, and even art activities, all in a low-lighting environment designed to be soothing and quiet.

“It’ll be very zen, like a futuristic spa,” Burrows added.