Controversy Essay-Eating Disorders in the Olympics

From the opening ceremony to the winning of medals, the Olympics is an event the entire world loves to watch. While entertaining for an audience, the Olympics represents something deeper to the athletes attending: a real dream come true. A dream that often takes over their lives, and could, at times, cause real harm. With the opening of the 2018 Winter Olympics this month, controversy has arisen regarding many Olympic athletes, specifically figure skaters, who are not able to participate in this year’s games because of severe eating disorders they developed because of their sport. No matter how competitive these athletes need to be in order to achieve their place as best in the world, there is no excuse for them to be driven to cause real physical, mental, and emotional damage to themselves by their coaches, managers, or judges. The health and wellbeing of these athletes are much more important than any gold medal they can potentially bring home for their country.  

Eating disorders are something that can truly devastate someone’s life, and are proven to cause long lasting damages on a person. According to a 2011 statistic cited by the National Eating Disorders Association, 20 million American women and 10 million men will at some point struggle with a clinically significant eating disorder, and athletes are no exception. Athletes who have worked their entire lives to achieve their Olympic dreams are being forced to retire their career in their teens, as debilitating eating disorders are cutting their aspirations short. This year, U.S. Olympic figure skater, Gracie Gold, announced her diagnoses with an eating disorder and her break from the sport to receive treatment, and Russia’s gold medal skater Yulia Lipnitskaya, only 19 years old, shocked the world by quitting the sport altogether due to anorexia. There has been a long history of skaters with eating disorders throughout the years, and the problem is not getting better.

As a society, we idolize exercise and are obsessed with fitness. The ideal body type for men and women is so cemented into our minds that it subconsciously affects the way we look at ourselves. For competitive athletes especially, there is a much stronger pressure to fit into these ideal images, and it drives athletes to take exercising and dieting to dangerous levels. When being constantly measured up against their competitors or fellow athletes, the need and drive to be better, thinner, lighter, etc. is so much stronger. The expectations built into society regarding body standards is definitely pressed upon athletes who are constantly in the limelight, and causes those insecurities that lead to eating disorders. These standards are dangerous, and society is at fault for placing these athletes at risk.

On the opposing side are the coaches and judges of figure skating and other sports who have a complete understanding of the sport, and want their athletes to achieve perfection. Eating disorders have long been an issue in figure skating, where weighing less makes performing easier and more graceful, allowing athletes to jump higher, turn faster, and maintain a higher aesthetic. Japanese figure skater Akiko Suzuki’s coach told her that if she loses some weight it would help her with her jumps, which ultimately led her to developing anorexia nervosa, putting her career, and life, in danger. Of course these coaches and mentors are not trying to cause harm to the athletes, but rather want the best for them, pushing them to achieve their full potential. However most times they push too hard, demanding too much from the athletes, a pressure that causes many of them to break and go to extreme measures in order to keep their bodies on par with their coaches’ expectations. Although strict diets are normal for elite athletes in any sport, in order to maintain their physique, athleticism, and weight, the pressure of success and glory causes athletes to be pushed over the edge.  

This issue is so controversial because there is still a stigma against eating disorders and body image issues, and we as a society are reluctant to admit to the issue. These Olympic athletes are looked upon as the golden children of our countries, ideal images of athleticism and talent, so we are hesitant to look beyond the fame and gold medals and deal with the real-life issues plaguing these young athletes because of their position. This problem is so prevalent in society but is constantly being swept under the rug because our society does not want to face the facts of what its social pressures has caused.

While recognizing the importance of athletes being required to maintain a certain level of fitness in order to be properly in shape to excel at their sport, it is imperative that there be a balance that will prevent more athletes from falling prey to eating disorders and body image issues as a result. Perhaps there should be requirements for athletes regarding their weight and health, prohibiting them from performing if they fall below the limit. Maybe coaches and sport associations should place boundaries on the amount of workouts an athlete is allowed to do, or require them to be on a regulated, balanced diet to control and monitor their food intake, thereby ensuring the proper treatment of their bodies. Whatever the solution may be, it is clear that steps must be taken to protect Olympic athletes, and all athletes as well, and ensure the health and wellbeing of these talented individuals.