Why professional athletes and Olympians struggle with life after sport | Four Corners

Around the world, fans love to share the triumphs and heartbreaks of elite athletes on the football field, the cricket pitch or in the swimming pool. Australia’s obsession with winning has prompted governments and sporting bodies to pump public funds into the careers of young people who show promise. But, unless they fall into scandal, we hear little about our champions once they are forced to give the game away. Often, they do not do so on their own terms and can find themselves overwhelmed. In this Four Corners, former superstars tell us how leaving sport created a dangerous vacuum in their lives and urge sporting bodies to do much more to prepare elite athletes for the fall. Their accounts are raw, deeply personal and in some cases, shocking. Read the Cricket Australia response sent to Four Corners relating to the assistance offered to its players after injury: If you need to talk to contact these services: Lifeline on 13 11 14 - ht