Liz Cambage is an absolute star of a basketball player and was certainly going to give the Australian Opals a real chance to snag a medal during the Games this summer at the Tokyo Olympics.
She’s one of the best players in the WNBA and one of the best scorers in the league. Whatever team she plays for has a legitimate shot at winning when she steps on the court — whether it’s her Aces in the W or the Opals.
Unfortunately, this summer, they won’t have her on the squad.
Cambage announced she’d be pulling out of the Olympics this summer in a statement via social media.
She cited her mental health as a reason. She said the thought of being in an “Olympic bubble” was terrifying and who could blame her.
— Elizabeth Cambage (@ecambage) July 16, 2021
“Anyone that knows me knows one of my biggest dreams is winning an Olympic gold medal with the Opals. Every athlete competing in the Olypmic games should be at their mental and physical peak, and at the moment, I’m a long way from where I want and need to be. I’ts no secret that in the past I’ve struggled with my mental health and recently I’ve been worried about heading into a “bubble” Olympics. No family. No friends. No fans. No support system outside of my team. It’s honestly terrifying for me. The past month I have been having panic attacks, not sleeping and not eating.”
Clearly, the setup of the Olympics is not appealing to her. This announcement comes after the Opals were discussing removing her from the team following an incident in a private squad scrimmage against Nigeria.
The Australian Opals are discussing Liz Cambage’s future with the team for the Tokyo Olympics due to an incident that occurred in a closed-door scrimmage against Nigeria, sources told ESPN.
— Olgun Uluc (@OlgunUluc) July 15, 2021
Clearly, there’s something off with Cambage. And it seems that she’s taking time away to address it. No one can blame her for that — that’s a good thing.
Think about the situation she’s in. She’s heading into Tokyo where she’d be completely isolated with her team for weeks amid a pandemic in a city currently under a state of emergency. On top of that, there seems to be a surge in cases among athletes at the Games, per Reuters.
Times are scary right now. It’s easy to become anxious in a situation like that. And if Cambage feels it’s best to remove herself from it for her physcial safety and mental health, then so be it.
Will the Games miss her? Absolutely. She’s one of the best personalities there. She’s also an incredible basketball player and would’ve been able to do so much for the sport by being there.
But what this comes down to is her mental health. And if that’s not all squared away, then it’s OK to step away and take care of it.
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