The 2004 Olympic Games: physiotherapy services in the Olympic Village polyclinic

Objective

First, to document the injuries sustained during the 2004 Olympic Games in a sample of patients visiting the physiotherapy department of the Olympic Village polyclinic. Second, to provide information and data about the physiotherapy services for planning future Olympics and other mass gatherings.

Design

Observational study.

Setting

Olympic Village polyclinic.

Participants

457 patients aged 15–72 years visited the physiotherapy department from 30 July through 30 August.

Results

The department''s workload was at a peak during the last 15 days of the Olympic Games (periods B and C). The most common injuries were overuse injuries (47.3%). The most common pathology for physiotherapy attendance was myofascial pain/muscle spasm (32.5%), followed by tendinopathy (19.2%) and ligament sprain (18.7%). The most prevalent site of injury was the thigh (21%), followed by the knee (14.1%) and the lumbar spine (13.5%). Most injuries had symptoms of <7 days'' duration. The geographical region with the greatest demand for physiotherapy services was Africa (40.6%). Most patients were athletes (74.8%), although team officials accounted for a considerable number (14%).

Conclusions

The smallest national teams—especially those from developing countries—were more likely to take advantage of services, probably because the larger teams had their own medical and physiotherapy staff. The characteristics of patients, their sustained injuries and the subsequent treatment varied by the accreditation status of the patients. The physiotherapy department''s workload was dependent on the Olympic Games schedule.     

Dental data of the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Athens University, School of Dentistry, accepted the challenge to organize the Dental Health Services in the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games in order to provide the best quality of oral health services to the athletes, coaches, escort members and Olympic Village personnel. Data from the whole activity protocol of the Athens 2004 Games Dental Health Services - the reception, admission and treatment protocols, the facilities and the infrastructure, the number of cases treated per specialty and the experience gained - were recorded. During the Olympic Games, there were more than 1400 dental cases in more than 650 patients, elite athletes, escort members, coaches and staff of the Olympic Village. Among them 313 fillings, 100 root canal therapies, 57 mouthguards and 9 dental trauma cases were treated. During the Paralympic Games, there were more than 240 dental cases in more than 220 patients. Among them 73 fillings, 12 root canal therapies, 21 extractions and 3 dental trauma cases were treated. In such events, highly trained dentists are needed and if possible, specialized in operative dentistry or endodontics. The role of team dentist seems to be of great importance.     

Home advantage in combat sports during the Olympic Games

Purpose

To determine if there is a home advantage effect in combat sports (boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling) in the Olympic Games during the period between 1996 and 2012.

Methods

This study analyzed the performance of United States of America, Australia, Greece, China and Great-Britain in this period, considering only boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo and wrestling. Relative frequency was calculated considering number of medals won by each country as a percentage of the total number of medals disputed in these sports. A multilevel mixed-effects Poisson regression was used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI) for the association of factor of interest as hosting country and country. In multilevel analyses, total number of medals disputed in each sport was included as the exposure in the models. As athletes in each sport changed over time, they were included as random parameters. All significance tests were 2-tailed, and p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results

There was a home advantage effect for total number of medals [IRR_{[95 % CI]} = 1.97 (1.38–2.80); p < 0.001], gold [IRR_{[95 % CI]} = 2.62 (1.45–4.73), p = 0.001] and silver medals [IRR_{[95 % CI} = 2.13 (1.09–4.17); p = 0.027] adjusted for the total number of medals disputed in each situation, country and sport. However, there was no effect for bronze medals [IRR_{[95 % CI} = 1.40 (0.78–2.51); p = 0.267].

Conclusion

This study provided evidence for the home advantage effect in combat sports during the Olympic Games disputed between 1996 and 2012 for total number of medals, gold and silver medals, doubling the quantity won when competing at home.

     

Erythropoietin concentrations and isoforms in urine of anonymous Olympic athletes during the Nagano Olympic Games

The ordinary doping control urine samples of 36 anonymous participants (cross-country skiers, biathlon athletes, and curling athletes) of the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games were analyzed for erythropoietin and erythropoietin isoforms. The urine erythropoietin concentration (IU/l) was determined with a competitive radioimmunoassay method and the isoforms were studied by electrophoresis and given as milli albumin mobility units (mAMU). Erythropoietin was detectable in 23 out of 36 specimens (64%). The biathlon and curling athletes had similar urine concentration of erythropoietin. The group of 16 cross-country skiers had significantly (P < 0.05) increased urine concentration of erythropoietin as compared to curling athletes and four of them had urine erythropoietin concentrations between 3.6 and 5.1 IU/l. The electrophoretic mobility of erythropoietin was determined in all eight samples with urine concentration of erythropoietin of more than 2 (range 2.1-5.1) IU/l. No single urine specimen with a median erythropoietin electrophoretic mobility below the cut-off level of 670 mAMU (indicative of doping with recombinant erythropoietin) was registered. Erythropoietin in urine was detected in 71% and the isoforms of Epo characterized in 29% of the anonymous Olympic endurance athletes. The urine concentration of erythropoietin in the biathlon and curling athletes were similar to those of non-athletes. The group of cross-country skiers had higher levels of erythropoietin in urine. These higher levels of urine erythropoietin in cross-country skiers are partly due to more concentrated urine specimens.     

Injuries among disabled athletes during the 2002 Winter Paralympic Games

PURPOSE: This prospective injury surveillance study was conducted to better understand the types of and risk factors of injuries sustained by athletes with disabilities competing in adapted winter sports at the elite level. METHODS: Detailed information was collected on all injuries evaluated by polyclinic or venue medical personnel during the operational 20-d period of the 2002 Winter Paralympics. RESULTS: A total of 39 injuries involving 9% of the Paralympic athletes were recorded in the injury registry. Most of these injuries were of acute, traumatic onset and involved the disciplines of alpine skiing and sledge hockey. Sprains (32%), fractures (21%), and strains and lacerations (14% each) represented the most common diagnoses. Of the recorded injuries, eight (21%) resulted in time lost from training or competition. CONCLUSIONS: The injury patterns observed among winter Paralympians in this study are not appreciably different from able-bodied athletes competing in similar disciplines, although in many instances the risk factors for sport-specific injury appear to be unique to disabled or adapted competition. Our preliminary observations suggest that several of the more severe injuries were potentially preventable. Ongoing data collection by the International Paralympic Committee should enable feasible injury prevention strategies to be designed and implemented.     

Organizational socialization in team sport environments

Socialization tactics are often used to manage initial group member interactions in a way that facilitates transition experiences. Although this process is heavily researched in organizational contexts, we sought to extend this line of inquiry to sport by examining the nature of socialization tactics used to integrate new members into existing teams. Interviews were conducted with 12 coaches and 12 athletes from several Canadian Interuniversity Sport teams to explore the nature of socialization and the circumstances underscoring why certain approaches are taken over others. A key process involved establishing congruency of role expectations between incoming athletes and group leaders, and socialization processes balanced expectations of conformity with encouragement of individual personalities within the group. A conceptual basis to examine socialization into team sport environments is discussed in relation to the extant organizational theories, and the practical implications of delineating sport socialization tactics are forwarded.     

Completion rates and injuries in alpine races during the 1994 Olympic Winter Games

The starting lists for the alpine disciplines during the 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer totalled 555 racers, but only 354 of them (64%) completed the different races. The race completion rate was 43% in the slalom, 51% in the giant slalom, 75% in the super giant slalom and 91% in the downhill. In combined downhill/slalom the race completion rate was 60%, but 96% in the downhill and 68% in the slalom part of the combination, respectively. Only three injuries were recorded, all in females. Including the training competitions a total of 1541 runs through the different alpine courses was recorded during the games. This means an injury rate of 1.9 injuries per 1000 runs. For downhill the injury rate was only 1.1 per 1000 runs. If the injury rate is related to the number of skiers who did not finish the race because of falls or skiing errors, the rate was 21.1 injuries per 1000 falls (skiing errors) for all alpine races. In conclusion, the race completion rate was twice as high in downhill as in slalom, and the injury rate was low.     

Carbohydrate feedings during team sport exercise preserve physical and CNS function

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the effect of carbohydrate (CHO) feedings on physical and central nervous system (CNS) function during intermittent high-intensity exercise with physical demands similar to those of team sports such as basketball. METHODS: Twenty active men (N = 10) and women (N = 10), with experience competing in team sports, performed three practice sessions before two experimental trials during which they were fed either a 6% CHO solution or a flavored placebo (PBO). Experimental trials consisted of four 15-min quarters of shuttle running with variable intensities ranging from walking (30% VO(2max)), to running (120% VO(2max)), to maximal sprinting, and 40 jumps at a target hanging at 80% of their maximum vertical jump height. Subjects received 5 mL.kg(-1) of fluid before exercise and 3 mL.kg(-1) after exercise, in addition to 3 mL.kg(-1) over a 5-min span after the first and third quarters, and 8 mL.kg(-1) during a 20-min halftime. During each break, the subjects performed a battery of tests measuring peripheral and CNS function, including 20-m sprints, a 60-s maximal jumping test, internal and external mood evaluation, cognitive function, force sensation, tests of motor skills, and target-jumping accuracy. RESULTS: Compared with PBO, CHO feedings during exercise resulted in faster 20-m sprint times and higher average jump height in the fourth quarter (P < 0.05). CHO feedings also reduced force sensation, enhanced motor skills, and improved mood late in exercise versus PBO (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that CHO feedings during intermittent high-intensity exercise similar to that of team sports benefited both peripheral and CNS function late in exercise compared with a flavored placebo.     

The Events of the Olympic Games

The Olympic Games have evolved from simple sports festivals to the spectacular events they are today. The authors describe their evolution and suggest an uncomfortably close parallel to modern society.     

Changes in stress and recovery in elite rowers during preparation for the Olympic Games

PURPOSE: The purpose was to investigate changes in stress and recovery during preparation for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. METHODS: Eleven elite rowers of the German National Rowing Team completed four times the Recovery-Stress-Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport). The eight rowers who competed at the Olympic Games filled out the RESTQ-Sport a fifth time, 2 d before the preliminaries. RESULTS: Trend parameters revealed significant alterations of somatic components of stress (Lack of Engery, Somatic Complaints, Fitness/Injury) and recovery factors (Fitness/Being in Shape) over time that mirrored the average length of daily extensive endurance training sessions. Significant changes in the scales Conflicts/Pressure and Social Relaxation reflected interpersonal processes within the team. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of balancing training stress and recovery for an optimal performance development is highlighted as well as the potential of the RESTQ-Sport for training monitoring.     

Injuries in adolescent and preadolescent boys at two large wrestling tournaments.

We evaluated injury patterns at two wrestling tournaments involving 1742 participants, aged 6 to 16 years. The overall injury rate was 12.7%. Injuries requiring withdrawal from the tournament occurred in 4.6% of the participants. Of all participants, 3% sustained an injury in their first match, and 1.1% sustained an injury during their first match that required withdrawal from the tournament. Primary areas of injury were the upper extremity (33%) and the neck and back (24%). Wilcoxon rank-sum tests revealed that increasing age and increasing weight were correlated with injury, whereas multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that only increasing age was correlated with injury. These findings suggest the need for medical supervision at large wrestling tournaments, where it is likely that severe injuries will occur. In addition, older wrestlers and perhaps heavier wrestlers are at an increased risk for injury.     

Medical issues relating to the Sydney Olympic Games

The Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 represent a significant medical and sporting challenge. Prior planning is the key to optimal performance, and team medical staff should be familiar with major medical and injury concerns of athletes and officials well prior to departure. A comprehensive team medical kit should be organised. Travel will be over great distances for many teams, so particular attention to optimising sleep and hydration is essential. The Olympic village experience can be overwhelming for some athletes, and medical staff should provide informed advice on food, transport and safety issues. Heat is less likely to be an issue than at recent summer Olympic Games, but should not be ignored completely. Major incidents can occur at any major sporting festival, and team medical staff should be appropriately prepared for these. All team medical staff should be aware of the current list of banned substances, and seek to minimise drug use by their athletes. After the event, an appropriate debriefing session should be held with a view to planning improvements for the future.