Kerri Strug vaulting with a broken ankle at the 1996 Olympics lands a bit differently now

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.upworthy.com/kerri-strug-vault-revisited-ex1

Sunday Hot Topic: The Courage to Prioritize Mental Health – Lessons from Simone Biles

In the high-stakes world of competitive sports, athletes are often idolized for their physical prowess, resilience, and mental toughness. Yet, when Simone Biles made the unprecedented decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics to prioritize her mental health, she faced a barrage of criticism that illuminated a deeper societal issue: the pervasive stigma surrounding mental health.

Simone Biles, a trailblazer in gymnastics, has consistently demonstrated exceptional skill and strength. Her decision to step back during the Olympics was not a sign of weakness but a testament to her courage and strategic thinking. However, the public’s response to her choice revealed an unsettling reality about how mental health is perceived.

The Backlash and Its Implications

The backlash against Biles was swift and harsh. Critics labeled her actions as “quitting,” “letting her team down,” or “being lazy,” ignoring the immense pressure and psychological toll that comes with being at the pinnacle of a sport. These comments not only undermined her bravery but also perpetuated harmful stereotypes about mental health.

The stigma surrounding mental health is deeply rooted in the belief that taking a break or seeking help is a sign of frailty. This stigma is particularly pervasive in high-pressure environments where the expectation to “push through” is glorified. Biles’ decision challenged this narrative, showcasing that true strength lies in recognizing one’s limits and prioritizing well-being.

Breaking the Stigma

Simone Biles’ actions have sparked a crucial conversation about mental health in sports and beyond. By publicly addressing her struggles and making the difficult decision to withdraw, she has helped to destigmatize mental health issues and encourage others to seek help when needed.

This shift in narrative is essential. It reminds us that mental health is just as important as physical health and that taking a break to focus on mental clarity is a strategic move, not a weakness. Biles has shown that acknowledging one’s mental state and taking steps to address it is a powerful act of self-care and resilience.

The Impact on Society

The criticism Biles faced is indicative of a broader societal issue. Mental health stigma affects people from all walks of life, discouraging them from seeking the help they need. This stigma is often fueled by misconceptions and a lack of understanding about mental health conditions.

Biles’ decision to prioritize her mental health serves as a powerful example for individuals facing similar struggles. It encourages people to listen to their minds and bodies, and to seek support without fear of judgment. Her actions remind us that it is okay to take a step back and focus on self-care.

Moving Forward

As we continue to celebrate Simone Biles for her athletic achievements, we must also commend her for her advocacy for mental health. Her courage to step back has set a precedent that mental wellness is paramount and that prioritizing it should be normalized and respected.

We must work collectively to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental health. This involves open conversations, education, and empathy. By doing so, we can create an environment where individuals feel supported in seeking help and taking breaks when necessary.

Simone Biles has shown us that mental strength is not about pushing through at all costs but about knowing when to pause and take care of oneself. Let us honor her legacy by continuing to advocate for mental health awareness and breaking down the barriers that prevent individuals from seeking the care they need.

When was the last time you took a break?

Conclusion

Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics to prioritize her mental health was a bold and strategic move that challenged societal norms. The backlash she faced highlights the persistent stigma surrounding mental health, but her courage has also ignited an important conversation. By recognizing and addressing our mental health needs, we can build a stronger, more resilient society. Let us continue to support and celebrate those who prioritize their well-being just as we celebrate their physical achievements.

Want to Digest this Topic Some More?

Listen to Season 4’s July theme of the Have a Cup of Johanny (HaCoJ) Podcast.

#athleteMentalHealth #breakthestigma #mentalClarity #MentalHealth #mentalHealthStigma #mentalWellness #MentalHealthAwareness #Resilience #selfCare #SimoneBiles #SimoneBiles #sportsPsychology #TokyoOlympics

International Olympic Day.

#olympics #tokyo #sports #india #tokyoolympics #olympicgames #paris #athlete #sport #olympic #athletics #trackandfield #fitness #figureskating #usa #winterolympics #teamusa #running #japan #hockey #goldmedal #love #training #motivation #teamindia #athletes #gymnastics #wrestling #boxing #beijing The fair of all games is the Olympic Games. Today is International Olympic Day. It is every player's dream to win a medal for his nation in the…

https://itsmostamazingindia.wordpress.com/2025/06/23/international-olympic-day/

Gravel Grit: Inside the Race with Amy Charity of SBT GRVL

...#KielReijnen #VueltaDiary #TrekSegafredo #GravelRacing #SBTGRVL #MonumentsOfGravel #BikeSetup #ProCycling #JenniferValente #TrackCycling #OlympicCycling #HaleyBatten #TokyoOlympics #CyclingTech #RacingInsights Source link The provided content is a collection of video-related metadata from VeloNews, showcasing various cycling events, athlete insights, and technical details. Here's a summary of the key…

https://cyclereview.co.uk/gravel-grit-inside-the-race-with-amy-charity-of-sbt-grvl/

Massive Casualties Following Suspected ISIS Terror Attack at Kabul Airport

https://tankie.tube/w/vWqaypVo3WbwRfv7mzwYsV

Neocolonialism & Imperialism in Afghanistan & Haiti, PLUS: Socialist NYC Mayoral Battle

https://tankie.tube/w/aYKuJoD4rWCCcCp7mHtHJK

HIL 2.0: Has Hockey India addressed past mistakes for a sustainable franchise model?

With the Hockey India League (HIL) returning in a fresh avatar after seven years, Hockey India (HI) will want to ensure that its second coming is smooth sailing.

For many years, former Indian players have spoken about the need for a robust domestic competition to aid the development of domestic talents. The announcement has been met with unanimous support from various quarters of the hockey community. “We have been waiting for so long for HIL to return,” said India international Amit Rohidas, who had his breakthrough in 2013 with the league.

In 2024, none of the older corporates or owners is back, with seven new teams introduced in the men’s league, except for Kalinga Lancers, which has been revived by Vedanta Limited. Four women’s teams will compete in the newly launched women’s HIL.

When the HIL initially folded in 2017, it was mired in issues, with teams facing financial burdens resulting in salary defaults for players and staff and scheduling conflicts with the international calendar being the primary ones.

Between 2013 and 2017, the HIL was played in a home-and-away format in Mumbai, Lucknow, Delhi, Ranchi and Chandigarh. However, the 2024-25 men’s and women’s competitions will be played in Rourkela and Ranchi, respectively. Bhola Nath Singh, HI’s secretary general and HIL governing committee member, pointed out that the biggest lesson for the league from HIL 1.0 was to adopt a sustainable approach, which is reflected in the decision to adopt two centralised venues for the relaunch.

The centralised venues with world-class infrastructure will help capitalise on the popularity of the sport, feels Divyanshu Singh, COO of JSW Sports, which owns Soorma Hockey Club men’s and women’s teams. The league recently announced it will offer free tickets for all the matches in both venues. “The first edition (2024-25) is happening in Rourkela and Ranchi, which have state-of-the-art stadiums, and hockey is very popular there. Hockey is not popular in urban India. I think that was the mistake that happened last time, where you had franchises from urban India, but you were not seeing the kind of response, be it in ticketing or the buzz from the fans,” said Divyanshu.

Madhav Krishna Singhania, who owns UP Rudras, backed the current model of the HIL. “I feel what happened maybe in the past was seeing the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), one tried to build costs as per the IPL. However, the revenues in viewership maybe did not come as per the IPL. So, for any league to become big, you start by having lesser costs. When there is more viewership, there is more revenue coming from broadcasting or sponsorship. Suddenly, you see the players’ purses also increase,” said Singhania.

The HIL is a unique competition unlike any other in the hockey calendar. The top European male players ply their trade in their storied domestic leagues back home. The Belgian, German and Dutch top-division leagues, which operate over nine months, have a history of over 100, 100 and 50 years, respectively. Each league has 12 teams, with 22 matches played in a round-robin system with promotion and relegation. The women’s league of the Olympic champion Netherlands mirrors their men’s league, with its first season dating back to 1981.

In comparison, India doesn’t offer a professional league system. The recent Senior Nationals lasted just 13 days. The upcoming HIL, similar to the 2013-17 version, will see each team play 10 league games, followed by the knockouts in the men’s league. In the W-HIL, each team will play six pool fixtures.

Germany’s Pasha Gademan, who will coach the Hyderabad Toofans, felt India did not have to replicate the European model while pointing out that the infrastructure is built for a shorter league.

“I doubt, in this setup [it’s possible]. I would say that the two things are very different. I think calling it a league is interesting because it sounds more like a ‘Hockey India tournament,’ but ‘league’ sounds a lot better, so I support the name. But it’s a bit more of a tournament, and the league in Europe is stretched out over a very long period,” said Gademan, who was the assistant coach for the German men’s national team during the 2023 World Cup win.

He added, “I’d rather see it stay like a compact league and have a high boost or an exciting period in the year instead of a regular league because a regular league has its pros and cons. I’ve been a coach of a top team for the last four seasons in Germany, yet the first 20 matches are almost boring in the sense that we know we’re going to win everything until the very end. And so you’ve got three quarters of a year where it’s not that exciting, and the last quarter of the year is super exciting.”

Top Europeans pull out

The scheduling issue, while not a roadblock, continues to be a thorn for HIL, leading to several overseas stars pulling out. The HIL was provided with a window by the International Hockey Federation from December 28 till the first week of February.

As many as 29 players from both the men’s and women’s leagues withdrew after the auction. Top European names like Seve Van Ass (UP Rudras), Tom Boon (Team Gonasika), Christopher Ruhr (Delhi SG Pipers), Tom Grambusch (Rarh Bengal Tigers), Jean-Paul Danneberg (Hyderabad Toofans), Nike Lorenz and Anna Toman (Soorma Hockey Club), etc., are giving the tournament a miss this year.

Reduced salaries, injuries and scheduling are among the prime factors cited for the withdrawals. While the competition offers a hefty payday for a short duration, the HIL falls during what would typically be their winter break from domestic leagues back home.

“A lot of the guys who have to be at home for Christmas, once they realised that the dates coincide with that, said they need to be with their families. I think that’s where issues came from. Hats off to the guys who are coming to India despite Christmas. They’re missing out on a big festival [Christmas] to be here. So, my respect for them as well,” said Singhania, whose team will also miss the services of Spain’s Alvaro Iglesias.

On the timing of the league, Sai Prakash Komireddi, CEO of Hyderabad Toofans, said, “The league will learn lessons from this. That’s the way it starts. And there are bound to be a few problems when you start a league.”

Problems aplenty: The scheduling issue, while not a roadblock, continues to be a thorn for HIL, leading to several overseas stars like Christopher Ruhr (extreme left) pulling out. 
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images

Problems aplenty: The scheduling issue, while not a roadblock, continues to be a thorn for HIL, leading to several overseas stars like Christopher Ruhr (extreme left) pulling out. 
| Photo Credit:
Getty Images

While the 2024 auction brought riches to Indian talents, it wasn’t as lucrative for the overseas stars. Olympic gold medallist and World Cup winner Boon, signed for Team Gonasika for Rs. 27 lakh (€30,300), much less than 20-year-old Araijeet Singh Hundal (Rs. 42 lakh), an Indian junior team player. Germany’s Ruhr, one of the top buys in the 2016 auction for Rs. 63 lakh, had his final bid set at Rs. 18 lakh this year.

Pirmin Blaak, the Netherlands’ shootout hero in the Paris Olympics final, said he earned more in the 2013 edition of the HIL. “Back then, the pay was better,” Blaak told  RTL Nederland after the auction. Blaak, picked up by Bengal Tigers for Rs. 25 lakh, two lakh less than his 2013 price, will not feature in this edition.

The 2024 auction format, in which the Indian Paris Olympic men’s team went under the hammer first, with a salary cap of Rs. 4 crore for each team, meant some foreign players were undervalued.

“In the last edition of HIL, overseas players were paid more than the Indians. This time, however, the tables have turned, and it seems a few international stars may not entirely agree with the shift. What they fail to grasp is that Harmanpreet Singh isn’t just one of the world’s best drag-flickers — he’s a brand in his own right. Everyone knows him as our beloved ‘Sarpanch Sahab’, and that star power is precisely why franchises kept bidding for him, even with a limited purse of just Rs 4 crore,” said Bhola Nath.

Only Gonzalo Peillat (Rs. 69 lakh), Jip Janssen (Rs. 55 lakh), and Jeremy Hayward (Rs. 42 lakh) were among the overseas players bought for over Rs. 40 lakh, largely due to the demand for penalty corner experts.

The HI secretary general also ensured tight measures are in place in the event of non-payment issues. “In the rare event that a franchise is unable to fulfil these commitments within 45 days of the season’s conclusion, the League reserves the right to temporarily suspend their participation until the dues are cleared. During this period, the franchise would also forego its share of the Central Rights Income. If payments remain outstanding beyond 60 days, HIL may consider further action, including the possibility of terminating the agreement after providing due notice,” said Bhola Nath.

Fight for second place

In an era of Indian sports where franchise competitions dominate mainstream sports, and with the Indian men’s team’s performances in successive Olympics, it was a no-brainer for corporates to give HIL another go.

“Cricket is right up there as the top sport in India. But next to cricket, looking at which sport is going to be second to cricket, that has to be hockey because it has the ingredients for it,” said Toofans’ Komireddi. The HIL window will mean fewer clashes with domestic competitions for TV ratings. The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) wraps up on December 29, but there is the ISL, and the Indian men’s cricket team has four white-ball matches scheduled during the business end of the HIL.

However, apart from the IPL, and to a lesser extent PKL, Indian franchises continue to bleed money in other leagues. Rahul Todi of Shrachi Rarh (Bengal Tigers owner) felt the digital penetration in India and the bronze medals in Tokyo and Paris will help HIL 2.0 strike the right chord. Apart from the reduced cost due to the centralised venues, Todi also commended HI’s decision to market the product by broadcasting the HIL on both Doordarshan and Sony Sports Network. The league will also be streamed on Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, Waves.

Apart from the centralised venues, broadcast strategy was another takeaway for the HIL governing committee. “The previous editions highlighted how a strong broadcast presence could significantly influence audience engagement and brand value. This time, the league aims to go beyond standard telecast practices, integrating advanced technology, expert analysis, and strategic marketing to enhance viewer experience and broaden reach,” said Bhola Nath.

He also confirmed there will be 16 cameras deployed at each stadium and elaborated on the cutting-edge telecast experience that will be in place. “Advanced graphics will provide detailed insights into gameplay, such as goal breakdowns, player movements, passing speeds, angles, and the time taken by goalkeepers to make saves. Additionally, features like drag-flick and penalty stroke speed will be showcased, giving viewers a deeper understanding of the game’s technical nuances.”

Sony Sports Network, which came on board earlier this month as a broadcast partner, is optimistic about a boost in viewership due to India’s recent success with both the men’s and women’s teams. “The interest in hockey has seen a rise since the Indian team won the bronze at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, which was their first Olympic medal in 40 years,” said Rajesh Kaul, Sony Sports Network India’s Chief Revenue Officer. “Hockey does not get the kind of viewership that cricket brings. However, with the sport being on the rise, we are ahead of the curve with the broadcasting of hockey in India.”

Divyanshu praised the broadcast model with DD and Sony Sports, saying it offers the opportunity to penetrate both rural and urban markets. He added, “Like it happens in all the leagues, there’s a split between all the franchises and all the leagues. So that will happen. Currently, I’m not in a position to disclose all the numbers, because we also haven’t received communication in terms of the media rights numbers.”

Todi, who also co-owns the Indian Super League (ISL) club Mohammedan SC, said, “I think hockey will receive much more support centrally also. And I think it’s very expensive because of the cost factor if you compare ISL costs and the ISL structure. I think that’s where I would credit Hockey India for their cost structures. We find some of the things in ISL a little exaggerated in terms of what is practical for India. So I think HIL has been very mindful of this.”

While centralised venues mean lower costs, franchises can’t tap into the fans’ support in their home cities like Kolkata, Chennai, Haryana and Punjab. Only Odisha-based Kalinga Lancers will find itself at home in Rourkela, while the Rourkela-based women’s team Odisha Warriors will play only one of its six matches in the city.

“There are pluses and minuses [to the centralised venue]. In the long term, the home-and-away format is needed to build that sort of local connection and a local fan base to come and follow the sport. There’s no dearth of people wanting to come and watch hockey. The only challenge is having the right atmosphere and moment for them to come and enjoy the sport. So, the sooner we can move to the home-and-away format, the better it would be for the league and the sport,” said Singhania.

The right ingredients are in place for the HIL to recommence and have a successful first outing, but Hockey India will be keen to ensure it is more than just a one-hit wonder.

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#hilDates #hilVenue #hockeyIndia #hockeyIndiaLeague #hockeyIndiaLeagueDates #hockeyIndiaLeaguePlayersList #hockeyIndiaLeagueTeamNames #hockeyIndiaLeagueTeams #hockeyIndiaLeagueVenues #indianHockey #parisOlympics #tokyoOlympics #whenIsHockeyIndiaLeagueStarting

Nikola Masniković, postage stamps for the Tokyo 1964 Summer Olympic Games, Yugoslavia, 1964.

#LetterformArchive #Olympics #TokyoOlympics #1964Olympics #NikolaMasnikovic #StampDesign #PostageStamps #Philately #Yugoslavia

Erwann Le Péchoux, who won gold with the French team in the #TokyoOlympics, was told he wasn't good enough to train the same team for the #ParisOlympics.

Japan got him instead 😁
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The atmosphere in Paris’s ornate #GrandPalais was electric during the final night of fencing in the #Olympics2024 , with #Japan cutting down both the Italian and French teams in men’s foil to win the gold.

Electric feel: Swashbuckling fencers cross swords in Paris’s glittering Grand Palais
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The Olympics are so Cute!

> The indictment says Takahashi received bribes from business suit retailer Aoki Holdings, publisher Kadokawa and others. Sun Arrow, one of the companies implicated, produced the stuffed toy version of the Olympic mascot, Miraitowa, and Paralympic version, Someity.

https://apnews.com/article/dentsu-tokyo-olympics-bribery-takahashi-ioc-dccbc9e8fb453f9b139de19ceb17e450
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#Dentsu #AdvertsingCompanyDentsu