How Canadian athletes handle the Olympic pressure

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – How will Canadian Olympic athletes deal with the expectations of an entire country?

The pressure can get intense when you are competing on the world’s stage.

A billion pairs of eyes on international TV can really make you feel the heat.

Doctor Peter Crocker with the UBC School of Kinesiology says the pressure on Canadian athletes at the Olympics comes from many sources.

“Mostly from personal expectations, but also meeting expectations of others such as loved ones and sponsors, the media, as well as things that are generated at the organizational level.”

One thing that can help results is if Canada gets some quick golds like we saw in Vancouver in 2010.

“It does kind of reduce the pressure because sometimes the media and organizers get a little uptight when athletes aren’t getting these medals. It can kind of grind on athletes,” says Crocker.

The Canadian Olympic Committee wants to see our team bring home 19 medals from Brazil, but Crocker adds we should expect the unexpected when it comes to the Summer Games.

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