Brittany George: Olympic Hopeful Skier Found Dead Days After Going Missing

Who is Brittany George: Days after going missing, Australian skier Brittany George was found dead in a Queensland locality on January 27, as per reports. She was 24. An Olympic hopeful, George had been forced into early retirement after suffering a serious back injury and was open about facing mental health issues after her sporting career near-ended.

According to reports, George was last seen in Brisbane in Queensland a week before her dead body was discovered. Authorities opened investigation into her whereabouts with urgency since the family reportedly informed them the young athlete was battling a medical condition.

"Anyone who knew Brittany, knew that she was determined and courageous, whilst also caring and kind," a friend of George's, who has organised a GoFundMe fundraiser to aid her funeral costs said. A part of the collected funds will also go towards a nonprofit for crisis support.

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A rising sports star, George was part of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia between 2017 and 2020. She was a professional gymnast and freestyle aerial skier, with hopes to participate in the Olympics one day.

"Travelling the world to do this, she met and impacted so many people’s lives in such a positive way that I am sure would last a lifetime," the fundraiser statement further read.

An injury she suffered left her dreams shattered.

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In a podcast, she revealed the impact her back condition had on her career.

"It has literally been my whole life, I've been ‘the athlete'... I did not have an identity. I was labeled ‘the athlete' from a very young age and just rode with it... I put everything in. My injuries my schoolwork went second-hand, everything went second-hand to sport…It was absolutely all or nothing," George said on an episode of Couching the Mind last year.

"Who am I as a person? Who is Brittany? I don't know that…I struggle every day to know who that is."

While the cause of George's death has not been made public, a report by Daily Mail suggests the athlete allegedly took her own life.

Researcher and advocate of gender equity in sports Simone Fullager tweeted on the incident, "What can be learnt from this tragic loss? Start by addressing the sociocultural context of suicide to improve prevention & athlete wellbeing support in the sport system."