a new center created at Insep to improve the mental preparation of French athletes

Published on 30/04/2024 22:28

Video length: 3 min

During the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, 15% of French athletes had mental preparations. This rate was doubled in the run-up to the Paris Games, thanks to a new performance center created at Insep. In particular, athletes become accustomed to performing in cacophony.

Since September 2023, France Télévisions has shared the daily lives of six Olympic athletes, following in particular their psychological preparation. On that day, the public is invited to Insep to simulate the atmosphere of an archery competition, especially with flutes. Interviews are also planned for this training. Here is the French team’s recipe for getting the archers used to noise. The exercise is above all psychological. Anticipating the excitement that would prevail during the Olympic Games in Paris, athletes are getting used to the cacophony.

300 Insep athletes are monitored

In 2016, during the Rio Games (Brazil), 15% of French athletes benefited from mental preparation. It is twice as much today, thanks to a brand new performance center at Insep, which employs 15 full-time employees. Three months before the Games start, 300 Insep athletes are monitored. Erwan Konaté, long jump specialist and member of the French athletics team, is one of them. He benefits from the advice of Elyse Lopez, his mental coach.