Mental Health Experts to Join Japan Delegation at Paris Olympics

From Jiji

July 12 2024

TOKYO – The Japanese delegation to the Paris Olympics, which begin later this month, will include four mental health experts to help create a better environment for Japanese athletes.

It will be the first Summer Olympics where such experts, called “welfare officers,” will accompany Japanese athletes.

The welfare officers will “provide support so that (athletes) can perform at their best,” said Michiko Dohi, a doctor who is deputy head of the Japanese delegation and in charge of medical affairs.

In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Japanese Olympic Committee sent a welfare officer for Japanese athletes there, in line with the International Olympic Committee’s policy of emphasizing athletes’ mental health.

Previously, mental health services for Japanese athletes were provided online. But Dohi said it is “easier for athletes to talk” to accompanying experts.