- Ribera Covadonga Hospital, in collaboration with Real Sporting de Gijón, held its first "Sport and Health: Competing with Your Head" conference.
- The "Feel the Shirt" campaign was launched, in which 13 athletes share their experiences with mental health in sports, with personal phrases printed on the back of their shirts to show "what they have inside."
- Specialists from the Sports Medicine, Traumatology, Psychology, and Physiotherapy Unit at Ribera Covadonga Hospital discussed with Real Sporting player Diego Sánchez the need to educate athletes and their families about mental health.
- All the campaign information in sentirlacamiseta.com
The health group Ribera has already presented the campaign in Valencia, Cartagena and Gijón “Feel the shirt”, which seeks to highlight the importance of physical and mental care in sports and the need to discuss mental health, with the collaboration of elite athletes from various disciplines. A total of 13 professional soccer, basketball, rugby, Valencian pilota, indoor soccer, tennis, and rowing players from 11 clubs are participating in this initiative, which the Ribera Group frames as part of its responsible health model and its goal of including creativity in its health promotion campaigns to achieve a greater impact on the population.
On August 14th, at the Gijón Conference Center, within the framework of FIDMA, together with Ribera Covadonga Hospital and in collaboration with Real Sporting de Gijón, the XNUMXst Sport and Health Conference: Competing with Your Head was organized. The roundtable, moderated by sports journalist Ángel Fernández, featured specialists from the Sports Medicine Unit at Ribera Covadonga Hospital: Dr. Eva Carbajo (Sports Medicine), Dr. Álvaro Rojas (Traumatology), Lucía Calvo (Psychology), and Silvia Vázquez (Physiotherapy), along with Real Sporting player Diego Sánchez, the protagonist of the "Feel the Shirt" campaign. During the discussion, the specialists discussed the pressure of competition and shared research data, such as the fact that stressed athletes are more prone to injury. They also emphasized the need to educate their community, families, coaches, and teammates about mental health. For his part, Diego Sánchez, a Real Sporting de Gijón player, shared the responsibility that players assume, with the club, the fans, and their teammates, "a great responsibility that you have to balance and for which it is necessary to have professionals with whom you can share it."
During the event, Angélica Alarcón, communications director of the Ribera group, presented the “Feel the shirt” campaign, carried out in collaboration with Maart Agency, responsible for the creative idea, which features the testimonies of 13 athletes who recount how they've faced moments of pressure, injuries, and emotional challenges throughout their careers. Each of them chose a personal quote printed on the back of their official jersey, as a metaphor for what they carry within them. "The pressure of competition, the frustration of not meeting expectations, or recovering from injuries can profoundly affect mental health. We want to create spaces to raise awareness and normalize this topic, which is still taboo in many areas."
The event was attended by institutional and sports representatives such as Jorge Pañeda, Councilor for Sports of Gijón; Jesús Abad, Councilor for Sports of Pola de Siero; Álvaro Alonso, Secretary General of the Gijón Chamber of Commerce; Mónica Blanco, member of the Avilés Chamber of Commerce; and Alfonso Rodríguez, of the Real Sporting de Gijón Foundation, as well as members of the Rugby Federation of the Principality of Asturias, Telecable Hockey Club, the Unicaja Foundation, and the Real Grupo de Cultura Covadonga.
The campaign is completed with a traveling exhibition that has been visited by more than 100.000 people at FIDMA, with the t-shirts of the athletes who have participated in the Lift u, Valencian Federation of Pilota, the Elche CF, the FC Cartagena, the Jimbee Cartagena, the Breogán Basketball Club, the Rugby Club Valencia, the Baxi Basketball Club of Ferrol, the Real Sporting de Gijon, the BCS Dragon Boat and a former professional tennis player. They all share first-hand accounts of how they've had to learn to channel the stress and pressure of competition, overcome serious injuries or illnesses, and also the importance of talking about how they feel and seeking professional help when needed. Their full video testimonies are being revealed as the campaign is being presented in different cities—currently in Valencia, Cartagena, and Gijón, and in the coming months in Ferrol, Lugo, and Elche—and can be viewed on the website.www.sentirlacamiseta.com, as well as on the social networks of the group and the participating clubs.
