Is Perfectionism Making Sports Toxic? |
What Is Perfectionism?
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Create a holistic view of human excellence for yourself.
Don't allow your self-worth to be based on performance.
Develop the ability to value yourself without needing to perform, prove, or perfect.
The real gold medal is not something awarded by judges, algorithms, or audience, but yourself.
If you watched figure skater Mikhail Shaidorov standing proudly on the podium, gold medal in hand, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, you might have thought such an achievement was beyond your abilities—but you’ll see it’s possible for all of us.
Although Shaidorov is a winner, he is, more broadly, a symbol of a system in which self-worth is measured by microscopic margins and severe judgment, in which a lifetime of training is reduced to a few minutes of performance, ranked and evaluated.
This is not really about sport. The Olympics have promoted a culture in which value is equated with measurable outcomes, turning performance and achievement into the means by which we assess our self-worth.
Perfectionism is often seen as a virtue, but there’s a difference between healthy striving and maladaptive perfectionism—a pattern driven by fear of failure, external validation, and a sense of independent self-worth. The modern Olympian often trains their body to perfection while psychologically narrowing their sense of self to a single outcome. Hyperfocus, extreme specialisation, and shaving off milliseconds have psychological effects that encourage people to base their identity on achievement.
The connection between achievement and identity is made clear in the iconic statue of the discus thrower, the Discobolus, sculpted in 455 BC. At first glance, it appears to be a tribute to sheer athleticism.
However, to the ancient Greeks, it represented something psychologically richer. It concerned the balance among the athlete’s physical abilities, mind, and soul. The figure’s forward lean, the twist of his torso, and the bent right leg positioned to throw the discus aren’t merely athletic stances; they symbolise the harmony of mind and body.The Discobolus embodies the concept of kalokagathìa, the perfect union of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. In ancient Greek culture, the body was viewed as the soul’s mirror. An athlete needed more than physical strength; they needed discipline, kindness, and devotion to the arts—a much more difficult achievement than focusing on one sporting event.
From a psychological perspective, the ancient ideal promoted what we now call identity diversification. We base our self-worth on multiple abilities. Elite sporting culture undermines this by tying self-worth to external measures such as medals, rankings, and metrics. This pattern drives burnout, depression, and identity collapse in elite athletes. This can cause deep psychological consequences later.
The arts were integral to the Olympic Games from their inception over 3,000 years ago. Competitions in architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture as well as athletics were worthy of medals. The philosopher Plato and the playwright Euripides both competed in wrestling and boxing. Their culture didn’t separate physical strength from intellect or creativity.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the originator of the modern Olympic Games, embraced this ancient philosophy. He believed an Olympian should be a well-rounded individual, excelling in both art and athletics. Until 1948, medals were still awarded for artistic competitions, collectively known as the Pentathlon of the Muses.Coubertin is often dismissed as an eccentric because his views contrast with modern Olympic ideology. He believed that balancing athletics with the arts was what distinguished the Olympics from other championships. To him, a true Olympian showed sporting ability and was also a connoisseur of music, art, and literature. Over successive Olympics, renowned artists and writers such as Robert Graves, George Grosz, and Walter Gropius submitted their works, reinforcing the belief that excellence should be psychological as well as physical.
The 1924 Paris Olympics may have been the high point of this ideal of fusing sport and art. Paris was the epicentre of the art world, and the combination of art and sport felt natural. This is very different from the highly specialised focus of the modern Games—a symptom of a wider shift in society towards hyper-performance and narrow identity.
What Is Perfectionism?
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In 1949, an Olympic committee meeting abolished the art competitions, arguing that participating artists were professionals. The irony is obvious: Professional athletes were later welcomed without hesitation. Psychologically, this represented a decisive split. Art and sport drifted apart, and with them, body and mind. Achieving a world record by shaving off a thousandth of a second allowed no space for poetry, painting, or reflection. Athletes became hyper-focused, highly dedicated, and increasingly dependent on others' validation.
This pattern has spread far beyond sport, and with it, the psychological challenges. We are encouraged to specialise early, optimise relentlessly, and define ourselves by quantifiable measures. However, perfectionism should not be driven by fear and comparison, as this can become a psychological trap.
Developing our artistic abilities deepens our self-understanding, thereby strengthening our psychological well-being. We understand our emotions better. Whereas elite sport narrows identity, art expands it. Artists in the Olympics were not a novelty; they gave a deeper sense of achievement.
We’ve been led to believe that excellence is about mastering just one skill. But the ancient Greeks saw things differently. They believed that all of our abilities are interconnected and that real achievement comes from developing the whole person, not just one part. In modern psychological terms, they understood that well-being depends on internal coherence rather than external ranking.
So, let’s rethink excellence. Picture a discus thrower again: Yes, we want to throw it as far as possible, but we should also be growing culturally, emotionally, and intellectually at the same time. This is not a rejection of drive—it is a rejection of a need for the approval of others.
The real goal is kalokagathìa, the harmony of body, mind, and soul. And the real gold medal is not something awarded by judges, algorithms, or audiences. It is independent self-worth—the ability to value yourself without needing to perform, prove, or perfect.
The Olympics once provided a holistic view of human excellence. Today, they promote a harmful form of perfectionism by viewing human value solely in terms of accomplishment. The loss of the arts was a loss of a mindset that supported true human flourishing.
The Art of Creative Thinking by Rod Judkins, Sceptre Books