Mental health
Sean McCann stares through a spotting scope at the targets 50 meters away during a Biathlon event at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center biathlon shooting range, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, in Midway, Utah. McCann is a clinical psychologist who works for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee — one of seven assigned to various sports teams. At certain times of the year, he's “embedded” with the U.S. biathlon team to help them perform at their best. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Finding the 'happy bubble': Mental health key for Olympians

By Martha Bellisle 7 hrs ago

FILE - United States' Lindsey Vonn poses with her career's medals in the finish area after the women's downhill race, at the alpine ski World Championships in Are, Sweden, Feb. 10, 2019. Vonn details in a column for The Associated Press on Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021 the mental health challenges she faced after retiring from ski racing. The most successful female ski racer of all time says she needed to find a new outlet after releasing all of her troubles on the mountain for so many years. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati, file)
Lindsey Vonn: I'm here to help for mental health, ski advice

By Lindsey Vonn Dec. 28, 2021 06:00 AM EST

FILE - Madison Hubbell, left, and Zachary Donohue perform during the free dance event at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, Calif., Jan. 7, 2018. As U.S. skaters, led by three-time world champion Nathan Chen, two-time U.S. champion Alysa Liu, and outstanding ice dance couples Hubbell and Donohue, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates, prepare for nationals during the first week in Jan. 2022, in Nashville, they need to be aware of the pressure ahead. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
Lipinski, Weir and White evaluate nationals and Olympics

By Barry Wilner Dec. 24, 2021 03:20 AM EST

FILE - Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) watches against the Detroit Lions during an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. Once taboo topics such a battles with anxiety, depression or addictive behaviors are no longer suppressed and athletes around the world are speaking up: Lance Johnson of the Eagles Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons and both took leaves of absences from their teams. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
Philadelphia Eagles at Detroit Lions 10/31/2021

Dec. 22, 2021 09:58 AM EST

FILE - Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley practices before an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Sept. 26, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J. Once taboo topics such a battles with anxiety, depression or addictive behaviors are no longer suppressed and athletes around the world are speaking up: Calvin Ridley of the Falcons and Lance Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles both took leaves of absences from their teams (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants 9/26/2021

Dec. 22, 2021 09:58 AM EST

FILE - Simone Biles watches gymnasts perform at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 27, 2021. Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka were not the first elite athletes to struggle with their own mental health, but their public admissions this year spotlighted a crisis not often addressed in the sporting world. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
Mental health among athletes spotlighted in tumultuous 2021

By Jenna Fryer Dec. 22, 2021 09:56 AM EST

FILE - Simone Biles, of the United States, finishes on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Biles’ 2021 experiences, and how she talked about them, helped drive a robust conversation about athletes’ emotional health. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
2021 Notebook: For athletes, mental health took center stage

By The Associated Press Dec. 14, 2021 05:27 PM EST

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner (90) saves a shot on goal by the Calgary Flames during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)
Vegas G Robin Lehner to skip Olympics, cites health reasons

Dec. 06, 2021 04:15 AM EST

FILE - Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. Simone Biles believes the post-Olympic tour she headlined proved cathartic. It also served as a touchstone for a movement within her sport and within herself. The 24-year-old gymnastics star thinks the tour -- which will be made available to stream in December -- expanded her horizons about what's next. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, file)
Regroup, reset: Biles to rest after trailblazing tour

By Will Graves Nov. 08, 2021 07:01 AM EST

Spanish Paralympic swimmer to fly home after anxiety attack

Sep. 09, 2021 12:07 PM EDT
MADRID (AP) — A prominent Spanish Paralympic swimmer will be flown home after she was hospitalized in Tokyo because of an anxiety attack, the Spanish...

FILE - Simone Biles performs on the balance beam during the artistic gymnastics women's apparatus final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, in this Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, file photo. Biles is at peace with her decision to opt out of several competitions at the Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. The seven-time Olympic medalist is happy to spread the importance of putting the person ahead of the athlete, one of the themes of her fall exhibition tour that will feature four other members of the 2021 Olympic gymnastics team. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Biles: Mental health advocacy part of post-Olympic tour

By Will Graves Aug. 19, 2021 09:00 AM EDT

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, April 6, 2018, New Zealand's Olivia Podmore waves after competing at the Women's Sprint 1/8 finals at the Anna Meares Velodrome during the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia. The New Zealand Olympic Committee says track cyclist Olivia Podmore has died suddenly at the age of 24, in a statement released Tuesday Aug. 10, 2021, without disclosing the cause of death. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard, FILE)
Olivia Podmore, New Zealand 2016 Olympic cyclist, dies at 24

Aug. 10, 2021 02:41 PM EDT

The Russian Olympic Committee athletes pose for a photo during the closing ceremony in the Olympic Stadium at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Mixed bag: Erratic Pandemic Olympics come to a nuanced end

By Ted Anthony Aug. 08, 2021 02:18 AM EDT

FILE - In this July 27, 2021 file photo, Simone Biles, of the United States, performs on the vault during the artistic gymnastics women's final at the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent young Black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young Black woman -- which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform -- entails much more than meets the eye. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)
Black women, across generations, heed Biles’ Olympic example

By Aaron Morrison, Astrid Galvan And Deepti Hajela Aug. 03, 2021 10:19 PM EDT

Paula Badosa, of Spain, is helped off the court in a wheelchair after retiring due to illness during the quarterfinals of the tennis competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
After heat issues, tennis body seeks more days at next Games

By Andrew Dampf Aug. 01, 2021 07:32 AM EDT

Cameramen work at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Saturday, July 31, 2021, in Tokyo. The willingness of athletes, led by Simone Biles, to talk about the pressures they face as elite athletes on the Olympics stage, has forced a look at how NBC presents the Games to the public. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Olympic attention to mental health: Can NBC coverage pivot?

By David Bauder Jul. 30, 2021 10:29 PM EDT

File- This April 27, 2021, file photo shows a Visa sign displayed on the front door of a local business in Urbandale, Iowa. Simone Biles’ sponsors including Athleta and Visa are lauding her decision to put her mental health first and withdraw from the gymnastics team competition during the Olympics. It’s the latest example of sponsors praising athletes who are increasingly open about mental health issues. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)
Olympic sponsors praise Simone Biles after withdrawal

By Mae Anderson Jul. 29, 2021 12:16 PM EDT

United States' guard Damian Lillard (6) and coach Gregg Popovich, right, wait for a replay to decide possession of the ball during their loss to France in a men's basketball preliminary round game at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 25, 2021, in Saitama, Japan. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Simone Biles makes mental health the talk of the Tokyo Games

By Jenna Fryer Jul. 29, 2021 07:22 AM EDT

From left, United States' gymnasts Jordan Chiles, Simone Biles, Grace Mc Callum, Sunisa Lee and Russian Olympic Committee's gymnasts Liliia Akhaimova, Viktoriia Listunova, Angelina Melnikova and Vladislava Urazova and Britain's artistic gymnastics women's team, Jennifer Gadirova, Jessica Gadirova, Alice Kinsella and Amelie Morgan stand during the medal ceremony for the artistic women's team at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
EXPLAINER: How Biles' withdrawals impact US gymnastics team

By The Associated Press Jul. 28, 2021 07:59 PM EDT

Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, reacts after defeating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, of Spain, during the third round of the men's tennis competition at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 28, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Djokovic says 'pressure is a privilege' that he can handle

By Andrew Dampf Jul. 28, 2021 09:46 AM EDT