Balancing risk-taking and self-care: The ecology of athlete health behaviour during the Olympic qualification phase

Athletes who aim to qualify for the Olympic Games need to stay healthy. Research demonstrates, however, that many elite athletes take health risks to achieve sporting success. Drawing on social ecological thinking, the purpose of this study is to understand change in athlete health behaviour during the Olympic Games qualification phase. We draw on data from a six-month-long case study on four athletes who aimed to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. We used semi-structured interviews and weekly-online surveys to collect data. Olympic hopefuls engaged in both risky health behaviour, such as ‘competing while injured’, and in self-caring health behaviour, such as ‘balanced dietary management’. Risk-taking was encouraged by a habit of taking pain medication, insufficient medical support, and time pressure to qualify. Awareness for self-care, a trusting coach-athlete relationship, and a well-rounded athlete support programme were factors that promoted self-care. Conceptually, we found that athlete health behaviour is dynamic and ecological, that is, it is relational to personal, contextual, and temporal factors. Based on the findings, we advise Olympic hopefuls to surround themselves with people who support caring health behaviour, and that sport organisations and stakeholders adopt long-term planning and implement policies of care.