How is Pressure Impacting Athletes in the 2026 Winter Olympics?

Written by: Victor, Reporter and Manager of ISFM

Athletes are admitting that intense pressure is impacting them. Too much pressure is not good for you, especially when you are performing in the Olympics. Participating in the Olympics is very hard and athletes should keep that in mind, it is normal to have some pressure. Pressure can have a big impact on how an athlete performs. 

Here are five reasons why pressure can have a crucial negative effect on sports performance:

• Pressure can result in mental fatigue, which might make people less focused.
• It can make athletes have a performance breakdown, where they have so much self doubt that they freeze or don’t perform well.
• It can make them scared of making mistakes even though making mistakes is part of being a human being. 
• High anxiety can be caused by pressure and can have a negative impact on sports performance.       
•  Pressure can cause muscle tension and stiffness which can lead to a physical injury. 

Here is an example that pressure is still impacting athletes in the winter Olympics: Ilia Malinin*, a professional figure skater, has fallen two times at the free skate 2026 Olympics performance. After the performance he confessed that he fell because of intense pressure and anxiety. Ilia Malinin ended up in eighth place because he fell twice. He is known for being the only skater to land a quadruple Axel so far, which got him his nickname “Quad God”. The Olympics cause pressure because athletes work on their sport for four years before the games.  They have worked for four years and have one chance every four years to get a gold medal.

Written by: Victor, Reporter and Manager of ISFM

*Ilia Malinin at the 2026 winter Olympics.