In a typical year, more than 3.6 billion people globally tune in to watch the Olympic Games. What most of these viewers don’t know is that just like one in five Americans, many of these Olympic athletes similarly face serious mental health challenges and struggle to find the necessary support and resources.
The Weight of Gold seeks to inspire discussion about mental health issues, encourage people to seek help, and highlight the need for readily available support. It features accounts from Olympic athletes who share their own struggles with mental health issues, including Michael Phelps, Jeremy Bloom, Lolo Jones, Gracie Gold, Bode Miller, Shaun White, Sasha Cohen, David Boudia, Katie Uhlaender, and, posthumously, Steven Holcomb and Jeret “Speedy” Peterson (via his mother, Linda Peterson).
The Weight of Gold is directed by Brett Rapkin; executive-produced by Michael Phelps, Brett Rapkin, Peter Carlisle and Michael O’Hara Lynch plus executive producers for HBO Peter Nelson and Bentley Weiner; produced by Ellyn Vander Wyden and supervising producer, Jonathan Crystal; edited by James Pilott; narrated by Michael Phelps; with music composed by Simon
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