‘We need to be kind to each other’: What it was like caring for the mental health needs of Olympic athletes in Paris

Psychologist Dr. Kweku Smith talks about how healthcare staff helped Olympians face daily challenges, from pressures on the field to vile comments on social media.

Mental health and performance go hand in hand. That’s one reason why the U.S. Olympics and Paralympic Committee started expanding its team in 2020, and currently employees 15 full-time staff while maintaining a network of hundreds of other providers. (In a first, the medical team even received a sponsorship from the medical apparel brand Figs, which outfitted healthcare professionals for the event.)