Incidence Of Injuries And Illnesses Among Team Usa Staff During The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games

PURPOSE: To describe the incidence of injuries and illnesses sustained by Team USA staff during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. METHODS: A retrospective review of all Team USA staff medical encounters during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games was conducted. Medical encounters were defined as any medical concern that was brought to medical attention in accordance with International Olympic Committee reporting guidelines. New injuries and illnesses were categorized using the Orchard Sports Injury and Illness Classification System. Details of the athlete (sex) and injury (anatomic location) and illness (body system) were examined and injury proportions (IP), and incidence rates (IR) with 95% confidence intervals per 1000 staff days (SD) were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 416 staff (males, n = 264; females, n = 152), accounting for 9,381 SD, supported Team USA during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Fifteen staff (60% female) presented for medical evaluation during the Games. There were 8 documented illnesses (IP, 1.9%; IR, 0.9 [95%CI; 0.3, 1.4]) with females (3.9%; IR, 1.6 [0.2, 2.8]) having a higher rate of illnesses than males (0.8%; IR, 0.4 [-0.1, 0.9]). Neurological conditions (0.5%; IR, 0.2 [-0.1, 0.5]) and conditions affecting the eye (0.5%; IR, 0.2 [-0.1, 0.5]) were the illnesses with the highest rate, followed by dermatologic conditions (0.2%; IR, 0.1 [-0.1, 0.3]), infections (0.2%; IR, 0.1 [-0.1, 0.3]), and genitourinary conditions (0.2%; IR, 0.1 [-0.1, 0.3]). Twelve injuries (1.7%; IR, 1.3 [0.6, 2.0]) occurred with males (1.5%; IR, 1.6 [0.6, 2.7]) sustaining a greater rate of injuries than females (2.0%; IR, 0.8 [-0.1, 1.7]). Of the 12 injuries, 6 were related to the shoulder (0.2%; IR, 0.6 [0.1, 1.2]), 3 related to the wrist/hand (0.7%; IR, 0.3 [0.0, 0.7]), and 1 each to the head/face, elbow, and foot (All, 0.2%; IR, 0.1 [-0.1, 0.3]). CONCLUSIONS: The risk of illness and injury among staff supporting the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games was low. Illnesses most affected the neurologic system and eye, whereas injuries to the upper limb were highest in this population. These results may provide guidance for staffing decisions and development of effective injury and illness prevention strategies for staff supporting Olympic athletes during competition.