(ATR) The IOC tells Around the Rings a study into the illnesses and injuries at the Rio Olympics can serve as a way to "monitor trends over time" and better study risks for athletes at the Olympic Games.
The study, in the British Journal of Medicine, was released last month and showed the rate of illnesses and injuries at Rio 2016 was lower than previous Summer Games. The results were significant given the risks associated with the waters around Rio de Janeiro as well as concerns over the Zika virus. The full text of the study can be found here .
Results showed that diving, open-water marathon, sailing, canoe slalom, equestrian and synchronized swimming were the sports with the highest illness rates. Fifty-six percent of illnesses in Rio were caused by infections, but the overall rate of infection, three percent, was identical to that of London 2012.
"The epidemiological data collected during this program allows us to better plan and provide the most appropriate athlete healthcare at the Olympic Games and other sports events," the IOC spokesperson said to ATR.
"By recording all athletes’ injuries and illnesses longitudinally, from Games to Games, one can monitor trends over time, and understand not only the magnitude of injury and illness risk in sports and disciplines, but also the effect of changes in venue design, rules or equipment, environmental factors, or others on the athletes’ injury and illness risk."
Authors of the study were from a worldwide range of medical and academic institutions, including multiple members of the IOC’s medical and scientific department.
The IOC also told ATR that the results of the study and other previous ones commissioned "prompted specific research studies in collaboration with a number of International Federations." These studies "aim to mitigate risks and protect the health of the athletes" at future events.
Written by Aaron Bauer
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