Over the last two years, there has been increasing talk about the ‘silent pandemic’ alongside COVID-19 that has affected the mental and emotional well-being of people around the world. Many sportspersons around the world are feeling it too, not least because of the myriad of rules and regulations that exist at events to prevent the outbreak of cases. Players have to go through RT-PCR tests before and during every event and game, with the fear of testing positive always looming over. And in case a player tests positive, they have to follow the COVID-19 protocol, including quarantine, that can potentially jeopardise their participation in the game. This not only impacts the emotional well-being of the players but may also have an effect on their performance in subsequent games. Bio-bubbles have become a key part of the COVID-19 protocol for sporting events, and can have a significant effect on the well-being of athletes. Though we can now see ‘normalcy’ return with regard to spectators, remember that matches were being played at empty stadiums till very recently. All this has also led to some athletes pulling out of tournaments citing emotional distress as the reason. Cases of mental health have been in the news for the past two years, amid the pandemic, with cricketers from Australia, West Indies, and England having gone on sabbaticals for better emotional health and well-being. More recently, in 2021, Virat Kohli raised concerns over the state of mental health of many fellow cricketers due to bio-bubbles, and demanded that to be considered during the scheduling process of tours and tournaments. In the same year, Veda Krishnamurthy, also an Indian cricketer, had voiced the need for mental health assistance as she recalled the trauma of losing two family members while seven of her family members fought COVID without any governmental or board assistance. “Mental strength is important. My oldest sister, Vatsala, had panic attacks before she passed away from COVID,” the 28-year-old had said in an interview with The Hindu. Outside India, tennis player Naomi Osaka spoke about her struggle with mental health in 2021, while Simone Biles’s revelations during the Tokyo Olympics 2020 also brought forth the increasing difficulties of battling emotional distress amid the ongoing pandemic. Bio-bubbles have become a key part of the COVID-19 protocol for sporting events, and can have a significant effect on the well- being of athletes. Though we can now see ‘normalcy’ return with regard to spectators, remember that matches were being played at empty stadiums till very recently.
10 Apr 2022
Nandita Singh Rattan
