International Olympic Committee survey finds 50 percent of athletes have struggled to stay motivated during the coronavirus pandemic

An International Olympic Committee (IOC) survey has found that 50 per cent of the surveyed athletes struggled to stay motivated during the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey, which was carried out during May, was conducted on over 4000 athletes and team members from 135 countries, during a period when the vast majority of these countries were in a state of lockdown so that heavy restrictions were in place for the population. The survey found that 56% of surveyed athletes were finding it hard to train effectively with 50% saying they could not keep motivated, whilst 63% of team members found it hard to keep athletes motivated.

Further figures from the survey show that 32% of athletes were struggling to manage their mental health because of the doubt over the future of their sporting careers with 30% concerned with maintaining their diet throughout the pandemic. The survey results confirm reports that the amount of athletes struggling during lockdown with anxiety and depression was an ever increasing number.

The IOC have stated that they are trying to help athletes during these unprecedented and difficult times by implementing measures such as webinars dedicated to mental health during the current climate with tips on how to stay positive and advice on what to do if you experience signs of depression or other mental health issues. Throughout the pandemic the IOC media channels have ran a campaign which has shown athletes at home and how they are attempting to maintain their training during lockdown.

You can access the survey results here.