The world of elite sports is a glamorous facade, but behind the scenes, many female athletes struggle with body image and disordered eating. Matilda Friend, a former ice dancer who reached the world ranking of 55, shares her story of how the pressure to conform to a certain body type led to a battle with her own body. From the age of 11, she felt the pressure to appear smaller and restrict her eating to meet the expectations of her coaches and peers. This is a common theme among elite athletes, with a survey of 152 athletes from 47 sports revealing that 27% had negative feelings about their body image and 44% had experienced an eating disorder or disordered eating. The ASPIRE study by Western Sydney University found that almost 80% of elite athletes were at risk of disordered eating, highlighting the unique challenges athletes face in maintaining a healthy relationship with their bodies. Edith Cowan University's research also found that recreational athletes often struggle with body image and eating habits, with most not satisfied with the way they look. Melanie Kawa, a rugby player, shares her experience of disordered eating throughout her career, which only ended when she gained access to proper nutrition guidance. The issue extends beyond elite athletes, with research showing that disordered eating is more common in athletes than the general population. Scott Fatt, a clinical psychologist, believes that a whole-of-sport approach is needed to address body image and disordered eating habits among athletes, including changes in communication, policies, and practices related to appearance, body image, and weight.
