SIMONE BILES’ “STEP BACK”: MENTAL HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE IN THE CIVILIZING PROCESS

Abstract

Simone Biles' withdrawal from participating in the finals of the gymnastics competition of the Tokyo Olympic Games is the object of study. The relationship between mental health and performance is analyzed based on Norbert Elias’ theory. The objective was to analyze the constitution of the character and the social configuration that made it possible for her to give up competing for mental health reasons. A case study of the empirical character was constituted from an analysis of newspaper reports, interviews and a documentary film. Three empirical-analytical categories were created: ‘The constitution of the athlete's psyche’; ‘Gymnastics as a national habitus’; and ‘The sports celebrity's actions’. We conclude that Simone Biles had support in her withdrawal due to a change in the contemporary configuration that modifies sport's guiding elements.