The risk of injury in handball is high among Olympic sports. Preventive measures should focus on contusions, ankle sprains, and thigh muscle strains, as well as measures aimed to reduce upper respiratory tract infections.

Goalkeepers have a very important role in handball. In coaching communities it is well recognized that goalkeepers’ performances can predict team ranking in major tournaments. Despite this, few studies have been conducted on elite goalkeepers participating in World Championships. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyse goalkeepers’ save performance during the 88 matches of the 2015 men’s World Championships tournament. Goalkeepers from 24 national teams were analysed using a tracking camera system and bespoke software (Prozone Handball V.1.2, Prozone, Leeds, UK). The purpose of this study was to examine time-motion performance parameters and to evaluate the save rates for each goalkeeper. The mean total distance covered in a game by the goalkeepers was 1634±999 m. Goalkeepers spent most of the time walking or standing. The total amount of shots to the goal was 6893, with a mean save percentage of 30% (2088 saves). A significant relationship was identified between the goalkeepers’ save statistics and the final team rankings. The save rate is important for teams to achieve a higher ranking, and therefore the selection and training of goalkeepers requires more than just assessing physical abilities. The throwing distribution and success/save rate during the Qatar 2015 Men Handball World Championships suggest strong and weak parts of the goal area, and coaches can use this information to adjust their training approaches for both goalkeepers and shooters.

Age, player position (backs, goalkeepers) and 2 min suspensions were associated with match injury. Stricter rule enforcement should be considered to prevent match injuries in elite handball.

All sport events have inherent injury and illness risks for participants. Healthcare services for sport events should be planned and delivered to mitigate these risks which is the ethical responsibility of all sport event organisers. The objective of this paper was to develop consensus-driven guidelines describing the basic standards of services necessary to protect athlete health and safety during large sporting events. By using the Knowledge Translation Scheme Framework, a gap in International Federation healthcare programming for sport events was identified. Event healthcare content areas were determined through a narrative review of the scientific literature. Content experts were systematically identified. Following a literature search, an iterative consensus process was undertaken. The outcome document was written by the knowledge translation expert writing group, with the assistance of a focus group consisting of a cohort of International Federation Medical Chairpersons. Athletes were recruited to review and provide comment. The Healthcare Guidelines for International Federation Events document was developed including content-related to (i) pre-event planning (eg, sport medical risk assessment, public health requirements, environmental considerations), (ii) event safety (eg, venue medical services, emergency action plan, emergency transport, safety and security) and (iii) additional considerations (eg, event health research, spectator medical services). We developed a generic standardised template guide to facilitate the planning and delivery of medical services at international sport events. The organisers of medical services should adapt, evaluate and modify this guide to meet the sport-specific local context.

ZusammenfassungVerletzungen spielen eine gravierende Rolle im Hochleistungssport und treten sowohl im Training als auch im Wettbewerb auf. Handball ist ein Mannschaftssport mit hohen physischen Anforderungen und die Messung spezifischer Belastungen hat das Potenzial, Risikofaktoren für Verletzungen zu identifizieren. Nur wenige Studien haben dies im Handball während einer Weltmeisterschaft getan. Das Ziel dieser Studie ist die Erfassung von Schulterverletzungen, die während der 88 Spiele der Männer-Weltmeisterschaft 2015 auftraten, und positionsspezifische Unterschiede zu erörtern. Spieler aus 24 Nationalmannschaften wurden mithilfe eines Kamerasystems und einer speziellen Software (Prozone Handball V. 1.2, Prozone, Leeds, UK) analysiert. Insgesamt wurden 9 Schulterverletzungen erfasst. Für 3 dieser 9 Verletzungen konnte keine Fremdeinwirkung dokumentiert werden. Die Anzahl der Pässe und Würfe ist von der Spielposition abhängig und die höchste diesbezügliche Belastung weisen Rückraumspieler auf. Die beiden Rückraumspieler, die eine Non-Kontaktverletzung erlitten, weisen im Vergleich eine erhöhte Spielzeit und eine erhöhte Anzahl an Würfen auf. Es scheint, dass es einen Zusammenhang zwischen erhöhter Spielzeit und Verletzungen gibt. Um das Risiko einer Verletzung zu senken sollte sowohl die Belastung gemessen (während des Trainings und des Turniers) als auch eine gezielte Verletzungsprävention durchgeführt werden, um die Spieler auf die Anforderungen des Spiels/Turniers vorzubereiten.