Incidence And Burden Of Injury At The Accra 2023 First African Paralympic Games

PURPOSE: To describe the incidence and patterns of injuries at the Accra 2023 First African Paralympic Games METHODS: The study monitored three sports disciplines: wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball, and amputee football. Injury data were collected daily via a Google Docs form from 337 athletes (68 women, 269 men) representing 18 African countries. The study reports univariate unadjusted incidences (injuries per 1000 athlete days with 95% confidence intervals), injury proportion (IP, %), and time lost from both competition and pre-competition periods. RESULTS: A total of 337 athletes were monitored over the 3-day pre-competition and 10-day competition periods, totaling 4381 athlete days. There were 34 injuries reported in 33 athletes, resulting in an injury proportion of 9.8% and an incidence rate of 7.8 per 1000 athlete days (95% CI: 7.7 to 7.9). Wheelchair tennis had the highest incidence rate at 18.5, followed by wheelchair basketball at 5.3, and amputee football at 5.1. The incidence of injuries was higher during the pre-competition period compared to the competition period (11.9 vs. 6.4). The most common injuries were to the shoulder (1.8) and head (1.6), with 21% of injuries resulting in time loss (days) from training and competition. CONCLUSIONS: The injury patterns observed at the Accra 2023 First African Paralympic Games differ from those typically seen at the Paralympic Games, particularly in terms of the overall incidence rate. While the types of injuries and affected body parts show some similarities, there was a lower incidence rate at the Accra Games. These findings provide valuable epidemiological data to inform injury prevention strategies for para sports in Africa, especially in low to middle-income countries. Further research is needed to understand the underlying factors contributing to these differences and to develop targeted interventions to reduce injury rates.