Game Plan offers Calgary Olympic athletes support

What happens after Calgary's Olympians return from the excitement of Rio?

Track cyclist Monique Sullivan says this can be a difficult time for athletes who have focused on one goal for so long.

"When the Olympics end, the dream is over … whether you won or you lost. That is a sort of guiding light for all the athletes and if you don't talk about what's next, if you don't provide the support to people, it's really easy to get lost."

She's one of 370 athletes in Alberta registered to participate in Game Plan, a national wellness program that includes resources for education, skill development, mental health, networking and career transition.

After spending so many years focusing on competition, making the transition can be difficult for many Olympic athletes.

Sullivan says the program has been helpful as she figures out what's next. "It's really comforting to know there is support and services."

Cara Button, Game Plan's advisor at the Canadian Sport Institute Calgary, says the program helps athletes who are retiring from their sport or unsure of what to do next, which can be an emotional time.

"Game Plan is a holistic program where we get athletes to focus on outside interests and develop their skills and their person so they are great people as well as great athletes. So we are trying to help them during and after their performance," she said.

"What I'm hoping is that we can make it a little easier for them by helping them be prepared and having thought a little bit about what their next step is, so that they feel confident going out."