A Comparison Of Injuries And Illnesses Among Team USA Athletes At The 2024 Paris Games

PURPOSE: To characterize and compare the injury and illness incidence among Team USA athletes competing in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. METHODS: Injuries and illnesses were reported into Team USA’s Injury and Illness Surveillance (IIS) system throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, including an 11-day pre-opening ceremony and 3-day post-closing ceremony window for each Games period. Injury and illness prevalence and incidence per 1,000 athlete-days (AD) with 95% confidence intervals [95%CI] were calculated. Incidence ratios [IR] were calculated to compare rates between Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and by sex. RESULTS: A total of 174 injuries (14.8 [12.7, 17.1] per 1,000 AD) and 99 illnesses (8.4 [6.8, 10.2] per 1,000 AD) were reported across 628 Team USA Olympic athletes (including alternates). 78 injuries (20.5 [16.2, 25.6] per 1,000 AD) and 60 illnesses (15.8 [12.0, 20.3] per 1,000 AD) were reported across 226 Team USA Paralympic athletes (including guides). Surfing (148.2 [76.6, 258.8] injuries per 1,000 AD) and sitting volleyball (52.6 [28.8, 88.3] per 1,000 AD) had the highest rate of injuries among Olympic and Paralympic (minimum 10 athletes) sports, respectively. Respiratory illness was the most reported (7.5%) illness type for both Olympic (4.3 [3.2, 5.7] per 1,000 AD) and Paralympic (5.8 [3.6, 8.8] per 1,000 AD) athletes. Injury incidence was approximately 40% higher for Paralympic athletes compared to Olympic athletes (IR, 1.4 [1.1, 1.8]). Illness incidence was also nearly twice as high for Paralympic athletes compared to Olympic athletes (IR, 1.9 [1.3, 2.6]). Team USA female Paralympic athletes were more likely to sustain an illness (IR, 2.4 [1.4, 4.5]) than male Paralympic athletes. CONCLUSIONS: The higher injury and illness rates among Paralympic athletes compared to Olympic athletes highlight the continued need for greater resource allocation and development and implementation of prevention strategies for this population, particularly for female Paralympic athletes. Given that respiratory illness rates were high among both Olympic and Paralympic athletes, consistent implementation of illness prevention strategies is necessary to mitigate transmission of respiratory illnesses at large-scale international sporting events.