According to Scientific American, about 10% of Olympic Athletes get injured during the Competitions.

olympic rings

The countdown is on. I, and many other fellow Americans are waiting with great anticipation for the Opening Ceremony for the Olympic Games in Rio this Friday. We’re about to see the best-of-the-best athletes compete from around the Globe.

I like to watch and root for participating athletes from the comfortable vantage point in front of my home television – a location that rarely offers a glimpse of the majority of injuries sustained during the Games. These are athletes who have spent their lives training for one purpose and to suffer an injury can prevent them from reaching their lifetime achievement which is nothing less than heartbreaking to see.

When Do Injuries At The Olympics Occur?

warm-up

Based on data compiled by Lars Engebretsen of the University of Oslo in Norway, about 3/4 of the injuries occur during some phase of competition and ¼ during warm-ups or on-site training.

Winter vs. Summer Olympics

Summer athletes injure their legs – winter athletes injure their heads.

What Summer Olympic Sports Have the Most Injuries?

The National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health analyzed injury data from the London Summer Olympics in 2012 and they reported that 35% of the injuries were expected to prevent the athlete from participating during competition or training.

Olympic Sport of track and field

Olympic Sports with HIGHEST Risk of Injury: taekwondo, football, BMX, handball, mountain bike, athletics, weightlifting, hockey and badminton.

Olympic Sports with LOWEST Risk of Injury: archery, canoe slalom and sprint, track cycling, rowing, shooting and equestrian.

We wish all athletes a safe and successful 2016 Summer Olympics being held in Rio De Janeiro!

Author Photo

Paul d’Oliveira

Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.

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