{
  "abstract": "Objective To describe the prevalence and nature of Olympic-career related injuries and illnesses, and behaviours during injury/illness, in Olympians in the 4 years prior to their participation at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Olympic Games.Methods 315 current Olympians from 70 countries completed a cross-sectional online survey, distributed by direct email through National Olympian Associations and World Olympians Association databases. Questions included Olympic sport exposure, significant training and competition injury and illness history (lasting >2 weeks) and athlete behaviours during injury/illness.Results 65% of Olympians were women (35% men), representing 51 sports (37 summer, 14 winter), aged 28.6 years (4.6). Overall, 58.5% (95% CI 52.2% to 64.9%) of summer and 55.6% (95% CI 44.7% to 66.4%) of winter Olympians were injured, with knee injuries most frequent (19.6% summer, 27.8% winter Olympians). Injury rates were similar between males and females. 17.1% (95% CI 12.3% to 21.9%) of summer and 23.5% (95% CI 13.1% to 31.3%) of winter Olympians were ill, with respiratory illness most frequent. Illness rates were (non-significantly) higher for female versus male winter Olympians (adjusted relative risk 2.04 (95% CI 0.73 to 5.76)) but similar between male and female summer Olympians. 78% of Olympians said they put the most pressure on themselves to return from injury/illness quickly. Almost half reported using painkillers during injury, while one-quarter continued full training/competition during injury/illness. Injury and illness prevalence followed similar bimodal and trimodal seasonal patterns for summer and winter Olympians, respectively.Conclusions Olympians report a significant history of injury and illness across the 4 years before the Olympic Games. A biopsychosocial approach that supports athletes during injury/illness absences is needed. Concurrent injury/illness prevention strategies should be considered to reduce the burden of both injuries and illnesses at key times in an athlete’s season.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Centre, University of Edinburgh Institute for Sport Physical Education and Health Sciences, Edinburgh, UK",
        "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Debbie Palmer"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Medical and Scientific Department, International Olympic Committee, Lausanne, Switzerland"
      ],
      "name": "Torbjorn Soligard"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Academic Rheumatology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Gwen Fernandes"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Edinburgh Sports Medicine Research Centre, University of Edinburgh Institute for Sport Physical Education and Health Sciences, Edinburgh, UK",
        "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Dave Collins"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK",
        "Sports Medicine, Sport Scotland Institute of Sport, Stirling, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Niall Elliott"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK",
        "Physical Activity for Health Research Centre, University of Edinburgh Institute for Sport Physical Education and Health Sciences, Edinburgh, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Paul Kelly"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "UK Collaborating Centre on Injury and Illness Prevention in Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK",
        "Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Iain R Murray"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway"
      ],
      "name": "Lars Engbretsen"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Insights from the first IOC Olympian Health Cohort: injury and illness in Olympians preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Summer and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games",
  "uid": "801820a8-c62b-5323-bebe-3f264df9cbef"
}