{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/698c50f8e66282a739b40cbe/69a81f69edee504921ff93dc?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Mental Game of the Olympics and Paralympics","description":"<p>When we watch the Olympics and Paralympics on TV, we mostly see the highlight reel: the medals, the tears, the interviews, the national anthem, and the occasional inspirational backstory. </p><p>And that’s natural – we’re spectators. We focus on performance.</p><p>But the games aren’t really just a two-week sporting event. For the athletes, it’s better understood as a multi-year psychological transition – and it comes with a real emotional price tag.</p><p>In this episode, we’re joined by Professor Binna Kandola OBE<strong> </strong>to unpack the psychological journey of Olympic and Paralympic athletes. We explore how elite performance shapes identity, the emotional instability of the games themselves, and why the most intense moments often occur far from the podium.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>References:</strong></p><ul><li>Roy David Samuel, Itay Basevitch, The Olympic Games transition: a narrative review and a conceptual model, <em>Performance Enhancement &amp; Health</em>, Volume 13, Issue 4, October 2025 <a href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211266925000660\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211266925000660</a></li><li>David Awosoga, Matthew Chow, Peaks and primes: Do athletes get one shot at glory?,&nbsp;<em>Significance</em>, Volume 21, Issue 3, July 2024, Pages 6-9,&nbsp;<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.1093/jrssig/qmae038\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">https://doi.org/10.1093/jrssig/qmae038</a></li><li>Starting and Specialisation Ages of Elite Athletes across Olympic Sports: An International Cross-sectional Study. (2023).&nbsp;<em>European Journal of Sport Sciences</em>,&nbsp;<em>2</em>(5), 9-19. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejsport.2023.2.5.100</li></ul>","author_name":"Pearn Kandola LLP"}