Australian and WNBA star Liz Cambage, 29, has withdrawn from the Australian Olympic Team and will no longer compete in Tokyo due to her mental health. This would have been Cambage's third Olympics.
The Las Vegas Aces player announced her withdrawal from the Australian Opals and the Olympics on Friday just hours after reports that she was involved in a physical and verbal altercation during a closed-door scrimmage against Nigeria, ESPN reported.
It's believed that the 29-year-old was involved in another incident after she broke team protocols and went out in Las Vegas.
In a Twitter post, the 29-year-old told her followers that she’s struggled with mental health in the past and is now concerned with the fact she won’t have her support network with her in Tokyo due to COVID-19 regulations.
"No family. No friends. No fans. No support system outside of my team. It's honestly terrifying for me. The past month I've been having panic attacks, not sleeping and not eating," Cambage said. "Relying on daily medication to control my anxiety is not the place I want to be right now. Especially walking into competition on the world's biggest sporting stage.”
Cambage believes she won't be able to perform well at the Tokyo Games without her “support system” by her side and says it's best that she withdraw from the competition and focus on her mental health.
— Elizabeth Cambage (@ecambage) July 16, 2021
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) chairman Ian Chesterman said the committee supports Cambage’s withdrawal, Yahoo! Sports reported.
"Liz has made a great contribution to the Australian Olympic Team over two Olympic Games campaigns. We respect her decision and wish her the best in returning to full health," Chesterman said.
"Our focus now moves to working with the Opals so they can achieve the goals they have set for themselves in Tokyo. We know they are totally committed to achieving success in Tokyo and they will still bring a incredibly strong team to this campaign,” Chesterman added.
In May, Cambage threatened to not attend the Tokyo Olympics after she said an AOC advertising campaign had whitewashed minority athletes, the Heraldsun reported.
She said the photos used in the campaign didn't represent diversity.
“If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times, HOW AM I MEANT TO REPRESENT A COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T EVEN REPRESENT ME,” she wrote beneath the ad.
Additionally, in the past, the 29-year-old has participated in Black Lives Matter events and advocates for equality.
The Opals are taking a major hit with the loss of Cambage who is the team’s most prolific player. Cambage was named the 2021 WNBA All-Star after averaging 14.6 points and 8.9 rebounds every game for the Las Vegas Aces.
Less than a week away from the Olympics, the AOC says it will examine whether it can find a replacement for Cambage. The Olympic Games are slated to begin on July 23 and conclude on August 8.
