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Olympian Camille Cheng named IOC mental health ambassador, plans Hong Kong advocacy
IOC appoints Camille Cheng as mental health ambassador for Asia
Olympic swimmer
Camille Cheng Lily-mei has been named one of the first mental health ambassadors by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), recognizing her commitment to athlete wellness beyond her accomplishments in the pool.
Cheng, who has represented
Hong Kong
in three Olympic Games, was invited to attend the IOC Consensus Meeting on Mental Health for Elite Athletes earlier this month in Lausanne, Switzerland. She will serve as the female ambassador representing Asia.
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'There'll be 12 representatives: a female representative and a male representative from the Americas, Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and then two more,' Cheng explained. 'It is up to the ambassador to be very proactive in how we bring what the IOC is doing in this space to our own region.'
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The ambassador program is part of a broader IOC initiative to incorporate athlete perspectives into mental health strategies. Cheng, who co-founded Hong Kong-based mental health charity
Mind the Waves
, plans to bring IOC research and initiatives to local conversations in Hong Kong.
'My hope is to take this experience, the resources that will be available, the research and bring it to Hong Kong and have conversations with the people here that can help,' she said.
Cheng aims to localize IOC mental health resources in Hong Kong
During her four-day visit to Lausanne, Cheng participated in a series of expert-led sessions on elite athlete mental health, addressing topics such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. More than 30 specialists presented research on mental health trends in high-performance sport.
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Cheng also co-facilitated workshops during the International Athletes' Forum, held in parallel with the mental health meeting. The forum gathered 300 to 400 athlete representatives globally.
'During this forum, there were five breakout sessions and I, alongside the head of the mental health unit and a clinical psychologist, co-facilitated a workshop for athletes,' she said.
Over two days, Cheng led sessions for about 150 participants, discussing the distinctions between mental health and mental illness, signs of psychological distress, and strategies for peer support.
'I feel very privileged to have been in that room, partly because it's a topic that I'm super passionate and interested in myself, and then also having the honor to be one of the athlete representatives as well,' she said.
Hong Kong Olympian
Camille Cheng
has been appointed as one of the International Olympic Committee's first mental health ambassadors. A co-founder of mental health charity Mind the Waves, Cheng aims to adapt the IOC's initiatives to Hong Kong, following her participation in a mental health consensus meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland
Olympian Camille Cheng named
IOC mental health ambassador
, plans Hong Kong advocacy
Now 32, Cheng is recovering from ACL surgery and has not competed in over four months. In addition to her Olympic success and six Asian Games medals, she holds a master's degree in industrial-organizational psychology and has expressed interest in pursuing a career in sports psychology.
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