Competitive game face can hide the pain
unable to seek help for fear of being dropped. He said several current English squad members dreaded Eddie Jones’ training camps because of the workload and scrutiny. With so many alarm bells being rung before their World Cup final disappointment, you hope the sport has being paying attention.
You wonder if Nike has kept it’s eye on the ball after runner Mary Cain recently accused trainer Alberto Salazar of ‘‘emotional and physical abuse’’. He coached her at the now disbanded Nike Oregon Project. Cain said he constantly demanded she lose weight, shaming her in front of team-mates. She stopped menstruating for three years, broke five bones because of osteoporosis, and began to feel suicidal. ‘‘I started to cut myself. Some people saw me cutting myself. And nobody really did anything.’’
Former Project Oregon members have backed up her claims. US 10,000m runner Kara Goucher explained how athletes will often follow instructions, no matter how uncomfortable they feel. ‘‘Your careers are so short . . . You want to capitalise on your career, but you’re not sure at what cost.’’
During the week, Salazar apologised, sort of. He insisted the focus on weight was to help athletes’ perform. ‘‘If any athlete was hurt by any comments that I have made, such an effect was entirely unintended, and I am sorry.’’
Nike says it’s taking the allegations seriously and is launching an investigation. Maybe they could take inspiration from some of their world famous slogans? ‘‘Failure’s not an option. It’s a step.’’ ‘‘Rewrite history. Redefine the position.’’ ‘‘You don’t get it by wishing.’’