Why Elite Sport

The current holistic well being landscape​

 

Holistic wellbeing support for elite athletes is still in its infancy globally. Where support does exist, it is often fragmented, limited in scope, and difficult to access. As a result, many athletes are left without the comprehensive care they need to navigate the unique pressures of elite sport—including identity, fame, family, finances, career transitions, and the practical and logistical demands of living and competing internationally.

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Despite being recognised as major risk factors for both mental and physical health, and as fundamental to healthy identity development, loneliness and isolation remain among the most significant yet overlooked challenges facing elite athletes. Because they're difficult to recognise and diagnose medically, they often go unnoticed and unsupported. While loneliness and isolation are widespread issues across modern society, they are frequently intensified within the high-pressure, performance-driven environment of elite sport. Their effects are far-reaching, impacting not only athletic performance and careers but, more importantly, athletes' personal wellbeing, relationships, and lives beyond sport.

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La Source exists to help address these challenges by creating a trusted ecosystem of connection, community, and personalised holistic wellbeing care. Through accessible in-person support whenever possible, complemented by digital services where needed, we aim to provide athletes and their families with the care, resources, and support they need to flourish in sport, life, and beyond.​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Who are Elite Athletes?

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An elite athlete is a sportsperson who competes at the highest levels of performance within their sport, typically distinguished by exceptional physical ability, technical skill, psychological resilience, and sustained competitive success.​

 

We define elite athletes through a combination of these criteria:

• Competing professionally or internationally

• Being selected for national teams or top divisions within a nation

• Training at a highly specialized and intensive level

• Competing consistently against top-tier competition

• Having sport as a central professional or high-performance pursuit

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Elite athlete statistics

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• 35% of elite athletes and 46.5% of former elite athletes have reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression. (1)

• 57% of female and 27% of male athletes worry about body image issues.(1)

• 34% of professional athletes reported experiencing symptoms of anger management issues.(1)

• 85% of male athletes in a recent study shared that stigma related to mental health made them reluctant to access mental health services. (1)

• 28% current professional male rugby players (rugby union, rugby league, and rugby sevens) reported feeling anxious and/or depressed (3)

• 95% of current and retired rugby players stated that symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) can negatively influence rugby performances (2)

• 46% mentioned that specific support measures for players were not available in professional rugby. (2)

• 26.5% of high-performance American athletes earn less than $15,000 a year, and another 10% earn between $15,000-$25,000. (5)

• “Only 50% of all responding high-performance athletes reported any compensation related to their sport, and of those only 11.5% received sponsorships,” (5)

• Domestic abuse incidents increase by 26% when England (Football team) plays, and 38% if they lose. (6)

• Jones, L et al. (4) Concluded a theocentric, received approach to identity formation (personal identity that is received from God rather than achieved by athletic performance) provided Christian elite athletes with unprecedented existential fulfilment and security.

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(1) Gouttebarge V, Hopley P, Kerkhoffs G, Verhagen E, Viljoen W, Wylleman P, et al. A 12-month prospective cohort study of symptoms of common mental disorders among professional rugby players. Eur J Sport Sci. 2018;18(7):1004–1012.

(2) Gouttebarge V, Kerkhoffs G, Lambert M. Prevalence and determinants of symptoms of common mental disorders in retired professional Rugby Union players. Eur J Sport Sci. 2016;16(5):595–602

(3) Jones, L., Parker, A., & Daniels, G. (2020). Sports Chaplaincy, Theology and Social Theory Disrupting Performance-Based Identity in Elite Sporting Contexts. Religions, 11(12), 660.

(4) Jones, L., Parker, A., & Daniels, G. (2020). Sports Chaplaincy, Theology and Social Theory Disrupting Performance-Based Identity in Elite Sporting Contexts. Religions, 11(12), 660.

(5) Passing the Torch Modernizing Olympic, Paralympic, & Grassroots Sports in America. THE FINAL REPORT OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATE OF U.S. OLYMPICS & PARALYMPICS 2024. Dionne Koller, Han Xia​​​​​​​

(6) Kirby et al. Can the FIFA World Cup Football (Soccer) Tournament Be Associated with an Increase in Domestic Abuse? Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume 51 Issue 3, May 2014

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