The former Olympic skier Lola Fernandez Ochoa He has been at the head of the company for four years. White Foundation, created after the suicide of his sister Blanca Fernández Ochoa in 2019 —the first female Olympic medalist from Spain— to accompany athletes before, during and after their career. In the last episode of ‘The Game Inside’, MARCA’s mental and emotional well-being video podcast, he spoke without filters about what nobody says it out loud in Spanish sport.
One of the most striking moments of the interview was the history of Blanca’s trophies. “When I helped her move, she was throwing them all away. I was able to rescue four or five. And when she died, I looked for her things and some boxes appeared with the 19 World Cup podiums. Above, in marker, had written: fucking trophies”. He has that piece of cardboard framed in the kitchen. “I understand Michael Phelps. “What good are so many Olympic medals if he has been on the verge of taking his own life?”
Lola did not spare criticism of the world of professional football. The Foundation has visited more than twenty First and Second Division teams for deliver mental health and withdrawal management workshopsand the most unexpected resistance has come from the benches. “Only three coaches have entered: Míchel in Gironathe entire coaching staff of the Grenade and that of Sporting de Gijón. In all the others, nothing. And he is the first person who has to detect how his player is doing.” The underlying reason was also explained: footballers do not want to tell their problems to the club psychologist because they fear that it will reach the coach and leave them on the bench.
The data managed by the Foundation, prepared together with the University of Zaragoza, are conclusive: one in five elite athletes suffers from depression. And of every ten calls they receive on their psychological assistance line —free, anonymous and available 24 hours—, nine are women. “I don’t know if it’s because we’re braver or because we’re worse off. But it is much more difficult for men to talk about this.” Also revealed that more team athletes call than individual athleteswhich clashes with intuition: “I believed that the individual athlete suffered more, with all that loneliness. We have to continue investigating.”
Rafa Jodar, one of the young promises of Spanish tennis, is another example that worries Lola Fernández Ochoa. “CAt 19 years old they already compare him to Nadal… we are crazy”he reflects, warning of the early pressure that athletes receive. For her, this type of label forces the mind to work from the beginning to prevent expectations from becoming a burden.
He final message of Lola was for everyone, not just for elite sports: “If you see that a friend or family member is having a hard time and doesn’t ask for help, ask for it. Because the person who is at that moment often does not have the capacity to do it. It’s the only thing I regret with my sister: not having asked for help before, like Lola, to be able to help her.
Your sports and well-being podcast
‘The game inside’the new video podcast of mental and emotional well-being in sports, It is now available on the main podcast platforms (Spotify, Ivoox, Apple Podcast, Omny…) and also on MARCA.com and Radio MARCA. Subscribe for free on your usual platform so you don’t miss any episodes
Maintains a biweekly periodicity, with new episodes every two weeks in which athletes, former athletes, psychologists and performance experts share their experience on mindset, emotional management, pressure, leadership and personal growth. An interesting proposal to delve deeper into how the athlete’s mind works and what is really behind performance.
