The Tokyo Games have shone a light on bullying, abuse and sexualisation, which are too often ignored in the pursuit of glory.

This week the German women’s gymnastics team competed not in the traditional thigh-high leotard but in skin-tight body suits reaching their ankles. They adopted the unitard, previously worn for religious or cultural reasons, back in April in protest against the sexualisation of their sport. Wearing it at the Olympics, team member Sarah Voss explained, signified women’s freedom to compete in whatever they felt comfortable wearing.

But the meaning of that choice deepened days later when Simone Biles, the brilliant 24-year-old American world champion, withdrew from the team gymnastics final saying she was battling “demons” she feared would hurt her teammates’ chances. After suffering an attack of “the twisties”, a condition where gymnasts lose their sense of space, she had become fearful of injury – devastating in a sport where one split-second mistake can mean a broken neck. 

 Yet many will wonder whether Biles’ loss of nerve has deeper roots.

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