France’s Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra and Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Marina Ferrari have been discussing ways to ensure mental health is looked after at the July 26-Aug. 11 Paris Games and Aug 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics.
Oudéa-Castéra pointed out the continued threat of cyberbullying to mental health in society in general, a risk she says is magnified when high-profile athletes are continually in the spotlight.
“Athletes as well as many of our citizens are exposed to these risks,” she said. “We are implementing the tools to help our athletes, but also our young and all French people.”
A study carried out by France’s National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (INSEP) showed that 15% of athletes have shown signs of high anxiety or depression, with the first signs of psychological difficulties beginning on average at the age of 17.
The risk factors themselves are already well-known. They include being away from family for sustained periods of time, pressure from fans, expectations from sponsors, reactions from angry gamblers losing bets, fear of failure and constant pressure to get results. These factors are magnified by constant exposure on social networks.
So plans are in place to better protect mental health going forward.
Starting from June, the website France.sport dedicated to top-level athletes will have a “Santé Mentale” (Mental Health) section, which athletes can click onto. It features a guide with practical advice and a self-evaluation questionnaire. The athlete also has access to a psychologist recommended by INSEP. The same services will continue after the Games, and are also available for coaching staff.
INSEP will also work with other French sports organizations on a presentation to raise awareness on risks linked to mental health among athletes.
France's sports minister is working with other ministries on ways to develop and support the profession of Mental Coach — someone who works closely with athletes to help with their mental preparation in order to improve their performance.
At the Olympic Village in the suburb of Saint-Denis, a safeguarding officer from the French Olympic and Paralympic delegation and three welfare officers (who are trained psychologists) will be onsite during the Games. They will offer assistance to athletes and staff members who are experiencing mental health difficulties and, if needed, they can be mobilized to support athletes who are staying outside of the main Village.
The safeguarding officer on site is also dovetailing as a designated person of trust who alerts social network platforms in case of serious problems happening online.
An online application called Bodyguard is already being used by the French Tennis Federation and the French soccer league to give athletes better online protection, including content arriving in their private messages if they so wish.
“The psychological stability of athletes deserves all of our attention. More than ever, they should feel safe and should be supported when they go through moments of difficulty or doubt or have a need to express themselves,” Ferrari said. “The context of (athletes') lives exposes them to increased risks. They should be cared for with regards to these risks.”
Further discussions are scheduled to be held in the coming weeks with the main social network platforms.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
From left, French athletes Arnaud Assoumani, Pauline Deroulede, Romain Cannone, and Melina Robert-Michon stand on stage as they wear the French team uniforms for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony, Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at the Grand Palais Ephemere venue in Paris. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The countdown clock reading 100 days before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony is seen Wednesday, April 17, 2024 in Paris. The Paris 2024 Olympic Games will run from July 26 to Aug. 11. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Apple on Thursday disclosed its steepest quarterly decline in iPhone sales since the pandemic’s outset, deepening a slump that’s increasing the pressure on the trendsetting company to spruce up its products with more artificial intelligence.
The 10% drop in year-over-year iPhone sales for the January-March period is latest sign of weakness in a product that generates most of Apple’s revenue. It marked the biggest drop in iPhone sales since July-September period in 2020, when production bottlenecks caused by factory closures during the pandemic resulted in a delayed release of that year's model.
The current iPhone downturn was the main reason Apple’s revenue for the latest quarter decreased 4% from last year to $90.8 billion. It marked the fifth consecutive quarter that Apple’s revenue dipped from the previous year. Apple’s profit in the past quarter totaled $23.64 billion, or $1.53 per share, a 2% dip from last year.
But both Apple's revenue and earnings per share came in slightly above analysts projections, according to FactSet Research.
Part of the iPhone deterioration during the first three months of the year stemmed from a big boost in sales during the same period last year when Apple said it was filling pent-up demand caused by pandemic-driven shipment delays.
Even as it stumbles slightly, Apple remains one of the world’s most prosperous companies. The Cupertino, California, company hammered home that point by announcing a 4% increase in its quarterly dividend to 25 cents per share. The company also committed to spending $110 billion buying back its own stock, a move that investors cheered but may fuel criticism that Apple is spending more money catering to Wall Street than creating more innovative products.
Bolstered by the increased dividend and stock repurchase commitment, Apple's shares rose more than 7% in extended trading after the news came out. The stock price has fallen 10% so far this year, erasing about $300 billion in stockholder wealth.
Although investors have been dismayed by the weakening iPhone sales, they are also concerned Apple may be losing its edge as other tech giants such as Microsoft and Google sprint out to the early lead in artificial intelligence technology that is expected to reshape the industry and technology.
The latest quarterly report “leaves no margin for doubt about Apple’s current state of affairs,” said Investing.com analyst Thomas Monteiro. “More than ever in the past decade, the company needs new products and solutions.”
Apple is widely expected to unveil more AI services in June during an annual conference showcasing the next version of its software for the iPhone and Mac computers.
Weak sales in China were again a factor in the latest quarter, with revenue in that region falling 8% from last year to $16.37 billion as rival smartphone makers gained ground in one of the company’s largest markets
Apple had a few bright spots in the past quarter too, most notably in its service division, which saw its revenue rise 14% from the year before to $23.87 billion.
The division reaps a significant portion of its revenue from a lucrative deal that locks in Google as the search engine that automatically answers queries on the iPhone — an arrangement that is a focal point of an antitrust trial currently wrapping up with closing arguments in Washington this week.
Commissions collected on digital transactions within iPhone apps are also a major revenue source within Apple’s services division, an area being targeted in an U.S. Justice Department lawsuit alleging the company is running an illegal monopoly that locks out competition to the detriment of consumers.
That case is expected to take several years to resolve, but European regulators already are forcing Apple to allow more alternatives to its proprietary iPhone app store as part of the Digital Markets Act.
FILE - In this June 16, 2020 file photo, the sun is reflected on Apple's Fifth Avenue store in New York. Apple will reports earnings on Thursday May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
