Prevalence of Sports Injuries and Illnesses in Saudi Arabia's Inaugural Women's Basketball League: An Injury Surveillance

Women’s participation in sports has been increasing and has led to increased concerns about the risk of sports injuries. However, epidemiological studies on the incidence of sports injuries in women’s basketball, particularly in Saudi Arabia, are lacking. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sports-related injuries and illnesses during the first-ever women’s national basketball league (2022) in Saudi Arabia by implementing an International Olympic Committee injury and illness surveillance protocol. The medical staff of the participating teams (n=15) were requested to report all new injuries and illnesses during matches and training daily throughout the competition. Exposure (number of player-hours) during matches was calculated for all the players (n=213). In total, 15.9% of the players were injured. The most frequent injuries were to the lower leg (Calf/Achilles tendon) followed by the ankles and knees. The most common injuries were sprains and muscle spasms. In total, 2.8% of the players (n=6) became ill during the competition. Five of the six cases (83.3%) had respiratory tract infections. Our findings show the importance of monitoring all injuries to prevent at-risk players from injuring themselves further. Whereas lower extremity injuries were the most common in the first-ever women’s national basketball league in Saudi Arabia.