Medical services for sports injuries and illnesses in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games

Abstract

Abstract Background：It is well recognized that the Beijing 2022 Olympics will be the second Games held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a condition that has impacted millions of lives from every nation, moreover, to a certain extent, it has altered the way sporting activities operate.And there is a lack of knowledge on injury risk and illness occurrence in elite winter sport athletes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Objective：To describe the incidence of injuries and illnesses sustained during the XXIV Olympic Winter Games, in Beijing held from February 4 to 20, 2022.Methods：We recorded the daily number of injuries and illnesses among athletes reported by Beijing 2022 medical staff in the polyclinic, medical venues, and ambulance.Results：In total, 2897 athletes from 91 nations experienced injury or illness. Beijing 2022 medical staff reported 326 injuries and 80 illnesses, equaling 11.3 injuries and 2.8 illnesses per 100 athletes over the 17-day period. Altogether, 11% of the athletes incurred at least one injury and nearly 3% at least one illness. The number of injured athletes was highest in the skating sports (n=104), followed by alpine skiing (n=53), ice track (n=37), freestyle skiing (n=36), and ice hockey (n=35) and was lowest in the Nordic skiing disciplines (n=20). Of the 326 injuries, 14 (4.3%) led to an estimated absence from training or competition of more than 1 week. A total of 52 injured athletes were transferred to hospitals for further care. The number of athletes with illness (n=80) was highest for skating (n=33) and Nordic skiing (n=22). A total of 50 illnesses (62.5%) were attributed to the department of dentistry/ophthalmology/otolaryngology, and the most common cause of illness was other causes, including preexisting illness and drugs (n=52, 65%).Conclusions: Overall, 11% of athletes incurred at least one injury during the Games, which is similar to the figures during the Olympic Winter Games in 2014 and 2018. Regarding illness, 2% of athletes were affected, which is approximately three-fold lower than the Olympic Winter Games in 2018.