The Canadian Press is reporting that 73% of female contestants (16 out of 22) in the Vancouver Winter Olympics’ Boardercross were injured. For men in the same event the figure was far lower, at 11% (4 out of 35). The British Journal of Sports Medicine also found that 11% of all athletes there sustained injuries, with 20 concussions. Lars Engebretsen, of Oslo’s Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, considers that 11% is not high, and  ”Compared to some other world championships, it’s actually a bit less.”

For men, short-track speed skating was the most injury prone, with a 27.8% injury rate. That was followed by Bobsled at 20% and Ice Hockey with 18%. For women the overall injury rate was 13%, whilst for men it was 9%.

In addition to the tragic and “catastrophic injury” of Nodar Kumaritashvilli in the Luge, the study noted that there were 287 injuries out of 2,567 athletes. The International Olympic Committee is rightly concerned about the increased injuries, and will have to balance increase safety regulations with the athletes desire to go faster, higher and more technical. The majority of injuries were the result of athletes hitting stationary objects, rather than another competitor and, this is an area which the IOC could look towards for future regulation.

source: Canadian Press

image: Sochi2014