Acknowledgment

“As an Olympian, I understand how the fear of injury and illness can be a daily concern for an athlete. It’s just as significant as a false start in the 100m or a failed parry in fencing. As a former athlete, I know how deeply ingrained this apprehension is in a sporting career.” When we push our limits, health risks are inherent in sports practice. This is why protecting athletes’ health and preventing injuries and illnesses in training and competition are top priorities for the International Olympic Committee (T. Bach, 2017).

“Managing injury and illness isn’t an end in itself. All this effort is to help athletes perform at their best. It’s about creating the ideal conditions for athletes to focus on their performance” (T. Bach, 2017). Psychological trauma is another form of sports injury; health encompasses both physical and psychological aspects.

With Olympic Agenda 2020, we have shown our commitment to placing athletes at the heart of the Olympic Movement. This initiative is another step toward that goal (T. Bach, 2017).

A salute to Dr. Thomas Bach! Dr. Richard Budgett has been in constant communication and idea exchange with Dr. Zhu of the WPA, on behalf of Dr. Thomas Bach, Chairman of the International Olympic Committee’s Science and Sports Medicine Commission, for several years. Dr. Budgett, a champion of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games in water sports, holds a doctorate in medicine and sports science from the University of Cambridge, UK.

What impressed me most was that in 2015, Dr. Budgett pointed out in a letter that the International Olympic Committee has been collaborating with the world’s most renowned sports psychologists. Later, I detailed in a letter the emergence of new disciplines in the Olympic movement: sports medicine psychology, sports psychiatry, clinical sports psychology, psychotherapy, and their current status and development.

Another notable memory was in 2016, during the Rio Olympics and the Olympic Conference, when Dr. Budgett introduced us to the 2017 International Olympic Committee meeting in Monaco. We submitted an abstract of the paper we intended to present, which was approved by the IOC’s Academic Committee.

Kudos to Dr. Richard Budgett!

Before attending the Monaco conference, I contacted Professor Dinesh Bhugra, Former WPA President in the UK, hoping he could participate. He wished us success. It felt reassuring to have Professor Bhugra standing behind me, reminiscent of my doctoral thesis defense. Counselor Chen of the Chinese Embassy brought flowers and attended the defense, making me feel supported, like having the Great Wall behind me.

Acknowledgment to Dr. Dinesh Bhugra!

At this conference, representing the World Psychiatric Association, I met Dr. Budgett for the first time. He arranged a private meeting where he formally proposed achieving our goal through the “Conference on the Consensus Statement on Athlete Mental Illness.”

Kudos to Dr. Richard Budgett and the WPA!

Before the Monaco meeting, I wrote two volumes of “Sports Psychiatry.” During the writing process, I injured my finger. After treatment in Vienna, I wasn’t the keynote speaker at the Monaco conference; I had my own session. I presented my session with my hand still bandaged, openly sharing my injury. Unlike an athlete who might not admit to depression or mental issues so readily.

Today, we’re addressing athletes’ mental illness. I’ll present a calendar outlining 12 common mental illnesses in athletes. Two experts randomly chaired my session, one from the British Olympic Committee and another, a flying doctor from Malaysia, who is also a crucial member of the Asian Olympic Committee.

Acknowledgment to Dr. Flying Doctor!

I also wrote a brief summary of the Monaco IOC meeting. You can share it on my Weibo for an overview of the 2017 Monaco IOC meeting.

Post Monaco IOC Meeting The Monaco meeting was the first between the IOC and the World Psychiatric Association, providing significant inspiration, especially regarding sports injuries.

At the meeting, I met a female coach from the American football team, worried about her players’ suicides. I conducted extensive research on athletes’ mental illness and wrote eight documents over several months. I shared my findings with Dr. Heil and Dr. Baron in the USA, receiving feedback. Dr. Heil read my manuscript thoroughly and agreed with my perspectives. I also sent these documents to Dr. Budgett and Dr. Roald BAHR, Chair of the Scientific Committee of the IOC World Conference on Injury & Illness in Sport, who praised and encouraged my work.

Kudos to Dr. Roald BAHR!

Before the 2018 IOC Athlete Consensus Statement Meeting on Mental Illness, the group was divided into several subgroups for in-depth research. A colleague compared our workload to “Astrological Numbers.” I reassured them, highlighting that English is my third language, making their task lighter by comparison.

The 2018 IOC Athlete Consensus Statement Meeting on Mental Illness has been reported in a special article, accompanied by numerous pictures. This article focuses on the cooperation between the IOC and the WPA, highlighting the outstanding contributions of their top leaders in promoting athletes’ mental health. The work is characterized by support, action, decisiveness, recognition, and gratitude.

Thus, I express my sincere acknowledgment to:

• Dr. Richard, for years of communication and coordination.
• Dr. Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, for his unwavering support.
• Dr. Roald BAHR, Chair of the Scientific Committee of the IOC World Conference on Injury & Illness in Sport.
• Dr. Erdener, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee, for attending the 2018 Consensus Statement Conference from start to finish.