... to call for more sensitive interviewing of young athletes?

[hepsitemiz]

I mean, is it too much to ask?

Today the BBC intercepted a GB olympic diver who had just performed disappointingly. I'm afraid I didn't retain her name, but she was being touted as a medal hope.

To paraphrase the interviewer quite liberally, he said something along the lines of "you were hoping for a medal and you only came 6th. How does that make you feel?"

How could he not have died of shame when her face crumpled and she said that basically not so long ago she was suicidal, so was just happy to be here and supported by her family. With all the signs being that she could barely hold it together, and after she pointedly repeated that she just wanted to to see her family poolside, he said something like "not so fast, let's delve a little more into why, despite your obvious talent, you missed out on a medal this time".

I mean, do they get extra points when they make someone cry?

IITMTA for more sensitive post-performance interviews?

YABU - yes, it is too much to ask
YANBU - no, it is not too much to ask

I doubt it as they’re sharing it all over social media today.

what’s sad is this is reflective of young people in sport in general. The top of the iceberg, and there are a lot of equally destroyed young people not seen.

lottery funding is based on medals. There is a whole background industry of jobs that these athletes keep running. Athletes funding can be taken away in an instant. It’s a constant knife edge.

i’ve seen athletes forced to give up after moving their whole lives to a high performance centre. Then they don’t reach an arbitrary target- a medal, a time, a weight, recover from injury quickly enough- or the ptb decide a 12 year old is a better bet for an Olympic medal in 8 years, so their funding is yanked. No money for rent, food, training, so their lives come crumbling in an instant. I’ve seen athletes defunded simply because they’re deemed too old. There are unfunded althetes representing GB at European, world, and I think Olympic levels.

i’d like to see the stats on how many elite athletes are on antidepressants. I know many who are because of the stress and pressure place on them by adults chasing medals, because medals means money and they keep their jobs.

the bbc would be better investigating the whole (imo) corrupt system that puts pressure on these kids.