Mental Health Awareness in German Society and Sport
Mental health awareness in both German society and sport has improved dramatically over the last decade. According to Johanna Belz, a sports psychologist at Germany’s most famous sports university in Cologne, "We have broken down taboos, that is, we talk more openly with friends and colleagues about topics such as depression or anxiety disorders, and we also have many prominent personalities who talk about their experiences."
Breaking Down Taboos
In the past, competitive athletes were expected to show strength, endurance, and motivation, with psychological stress not fitting into this picture. However, today it is recognized that athletes are more than just their performance, and that health and mental health are basic requirements for success. "We used to always say that competitive athletes need to show strength, endurance and motivation, and psychological stress didn’t fit into this picture at all. However, today we recognize that athletes are more than just their performance, and that we also need health and mental health. And that is not a contradiction to performance, but a basic requirement."
The Role of Sport in Mental Health Awareness
German sport still struggles with a culture that is too focused on performance. Football may be most to blame for this, but sport also attracts the most attention, which is important for further recognition of issues such as mental health. Ultimately, however, it is often the other sports in Germany, such as swimming or athletics, in which athletes are most dependent on greater psychological support. "I think the performance culture is also strongly promoted by the system because performance is rewarded," said Belz. "Particularly high-performing athletes are supported, which means that the entire system is somehow oriented towards this performance."
Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day on October 10th has existed since 1992. In Germany, the Mental Health Action Alliance, a nationwide anti-stigma initiative funded by the German Ministry of Health, is at the heart of supporting this work nationwide. Since 2010, not just a day but a week of awareness has been called for. Perhaps the strongest sign of changing attitudes came at the recent World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, when German long-distance runner Lea Meyer gave an extremely vulnerable and moving interview to German broadcaster ZDF after failing to qualify for the 5000m final.
Athletes as Role Models
Meyer’s interview was a significant moment in which the athlete himself reminded everyone watching that his value does not depend only on his results. "I had to remind myself that it – the athletic part of me – isn’t everything. It’s a big part of us and a part that we love, but that’s not fully me. I’m happy to do without the people who define me that way. And whether I won a medal or came eighth or 15th or, like today, didn’t even make it to the final, I’m still a great person. And that means a lot more to me than a certain time or position.” For many, this was a significant moment in which the athlete himself reminded everyone watching that his value does not depend only on his results.
Developing Tangible Support
Like every year, Belz and many other sports psychologists across the country want to use the momentum of days like October 10 to develop tangible and lasting methods of support. Together with his colleague Professor Jens Kleinhert, Belz does this at both local and national levels through workshops and individual support. For 2026, Belz hopes to increase proactive support so that sports psychologists do not only react to cases of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety or an eating disorder when they already exist.
Prevention is Key
The key is to make young competitive athletes mentally stronger at an early stage in order to prevent the development of mental illnesses in the first place. "I think it’s extremely important that prominent athletes like Lea Meyer and others talk about it early on that it’s important that I’m seen as a whole person, that I’m not judged for my performance," she said. "In other words, as the metaphor goes, we should help people learn to swim instead of rescuing them after they fall into the river."
