Prospective analysis of medical conditions and interventions among athlete and non-athlete groups at 2 major international multi-sport tournaments.

BACKGROUND

Medical preparedness for major international multi-sport tournaments requires effective planning of venue medical services for athlete and non-athlete populations. Understanding differences in medical intervention patterns is essential for resource allocation.

OBJECTIVES

To compare on-site medical interventions, hospital transports, and related medical conditions managed by venue medical teams (VMTs) between athlete and non-athlete populations during 2 international multi-sport tournaments, and to identify sport disciplines associated with higher hospital transport rates among athletes.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Prospective data from the World Games 2017 and the European Games 2023, both held in Poland, were analyzed. The study included 9,672 athletes and 355,215 non-athletes. Interventions were classified as on-site medical interventions and hospital transports. Medical conditions were classified as injuries or illnesses and as mild or severe. Incidence rates per 1,000 participant-days and event rates per 100 participants were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 1,021 medical interventions and 114 hospital transports were recorded. Compared with non-athletes, athletes demonstrated substantially higher incidence rates across all analyzed outcomes. The pooled incidence rate ratio (IRR) was 5.88 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 5.19-6.65) for total medical interventions and 16.69 (95% CI: 11.24-24.77) for hospital transports, with the largest between-group differences observed for injury-related medical interventions (IRR = 10.87, 95% CI: 8.76-13.49) and injury-related hospital transports (IRR = 24.44, 95% CI: 15.30-39.05). Mild conditions predominated in both groups, whereas injury-related conditions accounted for a greater proportion of medical interventions among athletes and illness-related conditions among non-athletes. Hospital transports were uncommon in both groups but occurred substantially more frequently among athletes and were predominantly injury-related. Muaythai, American football, BMX freestyle cycling, sumo, and beach handball had the highest hospital transport rates.

CONCLUSIONS

Athletes and non-athletes demonstrated distinct patterns of medical interventions and related medical conditions during major international multi-sport tournaments. Combined surveillance of both populations provides a comprehensive assessment of VMT workload and supports evidence-based medical planning for future tournaments.