Medical services at the 2017 Sapporo Asian winter games: injury and illness epidemiology at a 34-nation multisport event.

OBJECTIVES: We describe the medical services provided and report the injuries and illnesses that occurred at the eighth Asian Winter Games 2017. METHODS: A total of 2010 athletes and team officials from 32 National Olympic Committees and 2 guest countries attended this event; medical services were provided for 16 days. Medical data (medical care and physiotherapy) were collected for the same period by the organising committee for athletes and non-athletes (team officials, workforce, media and spectators) and recorded on the electronic medical record system at the medical rooms in the venues and the team residences. RESULTS: We recorded 745 medical encounters (medical care, 443; physiotherapy, 302), of which 549 (74%) were among athletes. There were 214 injuries as well as 144 illnesses and other medical conditions. Of the 1164 athletes, 549 (47%) utilised the services. Ice hockey, snowboarding and alpine skiing had high rate of medical encounters. More than half of the delegations were not accompanied by team doctor, and rate of medical encounters was high in these teams. The vast majority of patients transferred to hospital for further care were mostly athletes (n=36 out of 41), mostly alpine skiers and ice hockey players. CONCLUSION: Injuries and illnesses varied depending on NOC medical staffing and sport events. These data will serve organisers of medical and physiotherapy services in the Asian Winter Games and similar large events.

Sports injuries and illnesses during the London Summer Olympic Games 2012.

BACKGROUND: The Olympic Movement Medical Code encourages all stakeholders to ensure that sport is practised without danger to the health of the athletes. Systematic surveillance of injuries and illnesses is the foundation for developing preventive measures in sport. AIM: To analyse the injuries and illnesses that occurred during the Games of the XXX Olympiad, held in London in 2012. METHODS: We recorded the daily occurrence (or non-occurrence) of injuries and illnesses (1) through the reporting of all National Olympic Committee (NOC) medical teams and (2) in the polyclinic and medical venues by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games' (LOCOG) medical staff. RESULTS: In total, 10 568 athletes (4676 women and 5892 men) from 204 NOCs participated in the study. NOC and LOCOG medical staff reported 1361 injuries and 758 illnesses, equalling incidences of 128.8 injuries and 71.7 illnesses per 1000 athletes. Altogether, 11% and 7% of the athletes incurred at least one injury or illness, respectively. The risk of an athlete being injured was the highest in taekwondo, football, BMX, handball, mountain bike, athletics, weightlifting, hockey and badminton, and the lowest in archery, canoe slalom and sprint, track cycling, rowing, shooting and equestrian. 35% of the injuries were expected to prevent the athlete from participating during competition or training. Women suffered 60% more illnesses than men (86.0 vs 53.3 illnesses per 1000 athletes). The rate of illness was the highest in athletics, beach volleyball, football, sailing, synchronised swimming and taekwondo. A total of 310 illnesses (41%) affected the respiratory system and the most common cause of illness was infection (n=347, 46%). CONCLUSIONS: At least 11% of the athletes incurred an injury during the games and 7% of the athletes' an illness. The incidence of injuries and illnesses varied substantially among sports. Future initiatives should include the development of preventive measures tailored for each specific sport and the continued focus among sport bodies to institute and further develop scientific injury and illness surveillance systems.

Medical care delivery at the Inaugural Youth Olympic Games Singapore 2010.

CONTEXT: Mass gatherings such as the Youth Olympic Games require medical services for large populations with special needs specific to elite competitive youth athletes. The location of the Games in a heavily populated city with dispersed competition venues provides unique challenges. OBJECTIVE: To describe the planning and delivery of medical services and to provide data for future planning. SETTING: Singapore. One large multipurpose clinic was set up in the Games Village as well as medical posts at competitive venues for 26 sports for onsite coverage. PERIOD OF COVERAGE: 10 August 2010 to 28 August 2010. Participants A total of 1,337 medical encounters ranging from athletes to officials and volunteers who received medical care from a spectrum of medical professionals. MAJOR OUTCOME MEASURES: measures Number of cases attended to at the Games Village medical centres and the medical posts at the competition venues, utilisation of medical services, and the pattern of these injuries and referral patterns to hospitals. RESULTS: Medical encounters for non-athletes represented 40.9% of the total medical encounters. The rate of heat illnesses was low for athletes at 1.7% (N = 13). The total hospitalisation rate was low at 1.7% (n = 23). Utilisation of onsite pharmacy and physiotherapy services were high at 45.2% (n = 887) and 37.8% (n = 743), respectively, of the encounters for all support services. CONCLUSION: The dispersed nature of the Games venues provided challenges to the organisation of medical cover for the participants. Organisers in future Games can make use of the data to plan for future Games of a similar nature.