Athlete Days Research Articles

High rates of respiratory illnesses upon arrival: lessons from Team USA at the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games

ObjectiveTo describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries and illnesses among Team USA athletes competing at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games (PAG) and Parapan American Games (PPAG), with a...

Incidence Of Illness Among Team USA Athletes During The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games

PURPOSE: To describe the incidence and characteristics of illnesses affecting Team USA athletes during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. METHODS: All Olympic athlete medical encounters occurring during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games (July 12 - August 11, 2021) were reviewed to identify new illnesses. Illnesses meeting the definition as described by the International Olympic Committee reporting guidelines were included in the analysis. New illnesses were categorized using the Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System. Details of the athletes (sex) and illness (type) were examined and incidence rates (IR) with 95% confidence intervals per 1,000 athlete days (AD) were calculated. RESULTS: Six hundred and twenty-six US athletes (male, n = 341; females, n = 285) competed in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, accounting for 11,204 AD. A total of 51 illnesses (male, n = 18; females, n = 33) were documented resulting in an IR of 4.6 [95% CI; 3.3, 5.8] per 1,000 AD. The most common illnesses diagnosed were infections (23.5%; IR, 1.1 [0.5, 1.7] per 1,000 AD), followed by gastrointestinal (15.7%; IR, 0.7 [0.2, 1.2] per 1,000 AD), dermatologic (13.7%; IR, 0.6 [0.2, 1.1] per 1,000 AD), respiratory (11.8%; IR, 0.5 [0.1, 1.0] per 1,000 AD), ears/nose/throat (11.8%; IR, 0.5 [0.1, 1.0] per 1,000 AD), eye (5.9%; IR, 0.3 [0.0, 0.6] per 1,000 AD), and environmental illnesses (5.9%; IR, 0.3 [0.0, 0.6] per 1,000 AD). Other illnesses included psychological (3.9%; IR, 0.2 [-0.1, 0.4] per 1,000 AD), genitourinary (2.0%; IR, 0.1 [-0.1, 0.3] per 1,000 AD), and cardiovascular (2.0%; IR, 0.1 [-0.1, 0.3] per 1,000 AD). CONCLUSION: Among US Olympic athletes competing in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, infections, gastrointestinal illness, and dermatologic conditions represented over 50% of all documented illnesses. Surveillance and characterization of illness among Olympic athletes is crucial to understanding illness risk factors during the Games period and implementing prevention strategies to keep athletes healthy and at peak performance during future Olympic Games.

Incidence Of Injuries Among Team USA Athletes Competing In Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games

PURPOSE: To describe the incidence of injuries sustained by Team USA athletes during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on Team USA athlete electronic medical records from the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games (July 12 - August 11, 2021). New injuries were defined as any medical concern that was brought to medical attention in accordance with 2020 International Olympic Committee guidelines and classified using the Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System. Details of the athlete (sex) and injury (anatomic location) were examined and incidence rates (IR) with 95% confidence intervals per 1,000 athlete days (AD) were calculated. RESULTS: 158 new injuries were documented among the 626 US athletes (male, n = 341; female, n = 285)) that competed in the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games, resulting in an IR of 14.1 [95% CI, 11.9, 16.3] per 1,000 AD. Female athletes sustained 60.8% of new injuries (IR, 8.6 [6.9, 10.3] per 1,000 AD) compared to males (IR, 5.5 [4.2, 6.9] per 1,000 AD). Lower limb injuries accounted for 39.9% of all documented injuries (IR, 5.6 [4.2, 7.0] per 1,000 AD); injuries to the knee (n = 22; IR, 2.0 [1.1, 2.8] per 1,000 AD) and ankle/foot (n = 35; IR, 3.1 [2.1, 4.2] per 1,000 AD) made up 90.4% of lower limb injuries. Upper limb injuries (shoulder/arm/elbow, 16.5%, IR, 2.3 [1.4, 3.2] per 1,000 AD; wrist/hand/finger, 8.2%, IR, 1.2 [0.5, 1.8] per 1,000 AD) and spine injuries (lumbar spine, 8.9%, IR, 1.2 [0.6, 1.9] per 1,000 AD; thoracic spine, 3.8%, IR, 0.5 [0.1, 1.0] per 1,000 AD) accounted for 24.7% and 12.7% of all documented injuries, respectively. CONCLUSION: Among Team USA Summer Olympic athletes, lower limb injuries occurred at the highest frequency followed by upper limb and spine injuries. Continued athlete injury surveillance is necessary to prepare for and develop targeted prevention and treatment strategies for future Summer Olympic Games.

Incidence Of Injuries Among Us Paralympic Athletes Competing In The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

PURPOSE: To characterize the injuries that occurred amongst the US Paralympic athletes during the 2020 Paralympic games. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical encounters recorded in the electronic medical record of US Paralympic athletes competing in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (August 14 - September 6, 2021) was conducted. All encounters were reviewed to identify new injuries based on the guidelines outlined by the 2020 International Olympic Committee that occurred during the Paralympic Games. Only new injuries were included in the analysis. Injuries were categorized using the Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System. Details of the athlete (sex) and injury (anatomic location) were examined with incidence rates (IR) and 95% confidence intervals per 1,000 athlete days (AD) were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 241 US athletes (119 male and 122 female) who competed in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, 46 presented for medical evaluation of a new injury. The IR was 11.7 (95% CI; 8.3, 15.0) per 1,000 AD with a majority (58.7%) occurring in males (IR, 6.8 [4.3, 9.3] per 1,000 AD) compared to females (IR, 4.8 [2.6, 7.0] per 1,000 AD). Injuries to the upper limb (45.7%; IR, 5.3 [3.0, 7.6] per 1,000 AD) accounted for the highest injury rates, followed by injuries to the lower limb (21.7%; IR, 2.5 [1.0, 4.1] per 1,000 AD) and head/face/neck (10.9%; IR, 1.3 [0.2, 2.4] per 1,000 AD). The specific anatomical locations that had the highest rates of injury were the shoulder (15.2%; IR, 1.8 [0.5, 3.1] per 1,000 AD), the wrist/hand (15.2%; IR, 1.8 [0.5, 3.1] per 1,000 AD), and the knee (10.9%; IR, 1.3 [0.2, 2.4] per 1,000 AD). CONCLUSION: Analysis of injuries that occurred among a single Paralympic delegation competing in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games revealed that males sustained more injuries than females with injuries to the upper limb accounting for approximately half (45.7% of all injuries). Continued injury surveillance in elite Paralympic athletes is important to understand injury epidemiology in this population and inform future injury prevention strategies.

Epidemiology of injury and illness in 153 Australian international-level rowers over eight international seasons

AimTo report the epidemiology of injury and illness in elite rowers over eight seasons (two Olympiads).MethodsAll athletes selected to the Australian Rowing Team between 2009 and 2016 were monitored prospectively...