Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr 17;10(2):e001835.
doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001835. eCollection 2024.

Incidence of staff injury and illness at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Emily G Larson  1 , Ike Hasley  2 , Eric G Post  3   4 , Malia G Cali  5 , Stephanie C Clark  6 , April L McPherson  7   8 , Kayle E Noble-Taylor  9 , David M Robinson  10 , Travis Anderson  3   4 , Jonathan Finnoff  3   4   11 , William M Adams  3   4   12   13
Affiliations

Incidence of staff injury and illness at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Emily G Larson et al. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. .

Abstract

Objective: To report epidemiological data regarding injury and illness among the Team USA staff during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Methods: A retrospective review of all Team USA staff (total staff, N=1703 (62.5% female); total staff days (SD)=34 489) medical encounters during the Tokyo 2020 Games and Beijing 2022 Games was conducted. Details related to injury and illness were evaluated. Incidence with 95% CI per 1000 staff days were calculated.

Results: A total of 32 illnesses (incidence [95% CI] 0.9 [0.6, 1.2]) and 23 injuries (incidence 0.7 [0.4, 0.9]) were sustained by the Team USA delegation staff members during the Tokyo 2020 Games and Beijing 2022 Games. Female staff reported more illnesses (illnesses proportion (IP) 2.9%; incidence 1.4 [0.8, 2.0]), while male staff incurred more injuries (IP 1.8%; incidence 0.9 [0.5, 1.3]). When stratified by physiological system, dermatological and infectious were the most common systems involved with illness (IP 0.5%; incidence 0.2 [0.1, 0.4]). Injuries to the upper limb were most common (IP 0.3%; incidence 0.3 [0.1, 0.5]).

Conclusion: Injury and illness rates among the Team USA staff during the Tokyo 2020 Games and Beijing 2022 Games were low, but notable. Knowledge of injury and illness risks contributes to staffing decisions and prevention strategies for staff supporting athletes during competition.

Keywords: Epidemiology; Illness; Injury; Olympics; Surveillance.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

References

    1. Allen TL, Jolley SJ, Cooley VJ, et al. . The epidemiology of illness and injury at the Alpine Venues during the salt Lake city 2002 winter Olympic games. J Emerg Med 2006;30:197–202. 10.1016/j.jemermed.2005.07.006 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Derman W, Schwellnus MP, Jordaan E, et al. . Sport, sex and age increase risk of illness at the Rio 2016 summer Paralympic games: a prospective cohort study of 51 198 athlete days. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:17–23. 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097962 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Derman W, Schwellnus M, Jordaan E, et al. . Illness and injury in athletes during the competition period at the London 2012 Paralympic games: development and implementation of a web-based surveillance system (WEB-IISS) for team medical staff. Br J Sports Med 2013;47:420–5. 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092375 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Derman W, Runciman P, Schwellnus M, et al. . High Precompetition injury rate dominates the injury profile at the Rio 2016 summer Paralympic games: a prospective cohort study of 51 198 athlete days. Br J Sports Med 2018;52:24–31. 10.1136/bjsports-2017-098039 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Derman W, Runciman P, Jordaan E, et al. . High incidence of injuries at the Pyeongchang 2018 Paralympic winter games: a prospective cohort study of 6804 athlete days. Br J Sports Med 2020;54:38–43. 10.1136/bjsports-2018-100170 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources