Injury and illness among Norwegian Olympic athletes during preparation for five consecutive Summer and Winter Games

Abstract

ObjectiveTo describe the patterns of health problems among Norwegian Olympic candidates during their preparations for five consecutive Olympic Games (London 2012, Sochi 2014, Rio de Janeiro 2016, PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2020).MethodsThis was a descriptive epidemiological study using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems to collect data on all self-reported health problems from Norwegian Olympic candidate athletes for 12–18 months prior to each Olympic Games. Team physicians and physiotherapists followed up the athlete reports, providing clinical care and classifying reported problems according to the International Olympic Committee 2020 consensus statement on methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport.ResultsBetween 2011 and 2020, 533 athletes were included in the Norwegian Olympic team monitoring programme, with a 78% response to the weekly questionnaire. During this time, athletes reported 2922 health problems, including 1409 illnesses (48%), 886 overuse injuries (repetitive mechanism, 30%) and 627 acute injuries (traumatic mechanism, 21%). Diagnostic codes were recorded for 2829 (97%) of health problems. Athletes reported, on average, 5.9 new health problems per year (95% CI: 5.6 to 6.1), including 1.3 acute injuries (CI: 1.2 to 1.4), 1.7 overuse injuries (CI: 1.6 to 1.9) and 2.9 illnesses (CI: 2.7 to 3.0). Each year, female and male athletes lost an average of 40 and 26 days of training and competition due to health problems, respectively. The diagnoses with the highest health burden were anterior cruciate ligament rupture, respiratory infection, lumbar pain and patellar tendinopathy.ConclusionThe injury burden was particularly high among female athletes and in team sports, whereas endurance sports had the greatest burden of illness. Our data provide a compelling argument for prioritising medical care and investing in prevention programmes not just during the Olympic Games, but also the preparation period.

Development and implementation of an injury and illness surveillance system for team USA

“…Injury and illness surveillance systems provide valuable data that allows clinicians and researchers to understand the risk factors associated with different sports and activities, which can inform rule changes, equipment improvements, and training protocols aimed at reducing the risk of injury and illness (Bahr et al 2020 ). When an athlete sustains an injury or illness it can lead to a variety of negative outcomes, ranging from missed training and competition opportunities to potential long-term health consequences (Edouard et al 2024 ; Edouard et al 2024 ; Clarsen et al 2024 ). To address this issue, long-term goals for surveillance include establishing standardized reporting systems across sports organizations, enhancing collaboration between medical professionals and sports governing bodies, and implementing evidence-based interventions aimed at preventing injuries and illnesses, with the ultimate goal of creating a safer and healthier environment for athletes at all levels of sport (Bahr et al 2020 ).…”