Banner by Khusbu Patel
Eating Disorders and the Olympics
by Emily Hensley
The 2020 Olympics are less than a year away. Currently, promising athletes are gearing up, hoping to earn their ticket to the games. Just over 30 years ago, American gymnast Christy Henrich was in the same position. She qualified for the national team in 1987, hoping to make the Olympic team the following year. After a meet in Hungary, however, a judge warned her that she was “fat” and “wouldn’t make the 1988 Olympic team if she didn’t lose weight.” Christy took the judge’s comments to heart and lost several pounds in the following months, becoming obsessed with her weight and counting calories. Unfortunately, she failed to make the team by a mere 0.118th of a point. After this, Henrich spiraled out of control, struggling in a battle against anorexia nervosa. In 1994, at 4-foot-11, Christy weighed just 47 pounds. Despite the intensive treatment that followed this low point, she had passed the point of no return. On July 26th, 1994, Christy Henrich died of multiple organ failure due to anorexia nervosa. This tragic case illustrates the prevalence of eating disorders in aesthetic, or appearance-oriented, sports.
According to sports psychologist Eva V. Monsma, aesthetic sports include gymnastics, figure skating, cheerleading, ballet and other similar activities. In these sports, a smaller body size is often associated with being aesthetically pleasing; therefore, it is idealized as key to a successful performance. The idea that judging is based on one’s physical appearance also contributes to a hyper-focus on body image. This ideology often manifests itself in the form of negative psychological effects, particularly eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Athletes often resort to unhealthy behaviors in an attempt to excel in their sport. In recent years, elite athletes have highlighted the disturbing trend of eating disorders in aesthetic sports.
Though the numbers are unclear as to how many professional athletes in aesthetic sports suffer or have suffered from eating disorders, many have shared their stories or raised awareness for how serious the issue is.
Just before the 2018 Winter Olympics, NBC Sports reported that two professional figure skaters, Gracie Gold and Yulia Lipnitskaya, withdrew from competition to seek treatment for eating disorders. In response, American figure skater Adam Rippon told the story of how the sport warped his body image. During training, he used to only eat “three slices of bread … and three cups of coffee” a day, Rippon told The New York Times. His disordered eating habits began after a judge told him he was too “bottom heavy” to land difficult jumps. Similarly, after being told that she was “too soft” and “needed more muscle tone,” professional ballerina Anais Garcia revealed to the Chicago Tribune that her body dysmorphia spiralled out of control. She was hospitalized for cardiac complications after years of restrictive dieting. Evidently, elite athletes face immense amounts of pressure. To please judges, coaches and the media, they may resort to drastic measures in an attempt to control their weight. Additionally, the presence of an “ideal body type,” such as the typical tall, slender ballerina or petite gymnast, may encourage athletes to pursue the “perfect” body for their sport. When the stakes are not as high, these startling trends still persist.
At the non-professional level, the psychological effects of aesthetic sports are still prevalent. A study conducted at the Pennsylvania State University compared 7-year-old athletes in aesthetic and non-aesthetic sports by surveying each group on weight concerns and body image. When analyzing the survey, the athletes in aesthetic sports reported significantly higher levels of weight concern compared to athletes in non-aesthetic sports. Clearly, negative ideologies are instilled at a young age, and they often persist throughout adolescence. The National Eating Disorder Association shows startling statistics on aesthetic sport athletes. A survey of female high school athletes in aesthetic sports revealed that 41.5 percent reported disordered eating. Although a national medal or world title may not be at stake, athletes who compete at the non-professional level are still susceptible to the negative psychological effects from competing in aesthetic sports.
Some attribute the root of eating disorders to the coaching environment. Coaches can cause their athletes to hyper-focus on their weight and what they eat in an unhealthy way. For example, Business Insider reveals that figure skating coach Rafael Arutyunyan used to call his skaters “fat” to get them to lose weight. According to the Daily Mail, Vanessa Atler, a former U.S. gymnast, states that her coaching team heavily monitored her size by having her record her weight three times a day. Teachers and coaches have a large influence on athletes’ mindsets, so encouraging these unhealthy eating behaviors can lead to more serious problems. Unfortunately, this can create a cycle. When athletes are taught unhealthy eating behaviors, they may later pass these beliefs on to their students if they choose to pursue a career in coaching. Normalization of disordered eating is often passed from coach to student, and this dynamic creates a culture that hyper-focuses on body image.
This is not to say that aesthetic sports are inherently bad. When trained in the proper environment and taught healthy behaviors, athletes can utilize aesthetic sports as not only a source of exercise, but also a form of artistic expression. This unique combination of athleticism and artistry provides a mental and physical challenge. Though athletes in aesthetic sports may amaze audiences with performances, it is necessary to recognize the underlying issue of eating disorders that plague these sports and address them by reforming the sport-wide attitude towards body image.