Abstract des Autors

The 1989 Jeux Canada Summer Games held in Saskatoon, over a 2 week period in August, hosted over 3,500 athletes and coaches who participated in 28 sports. Over 300 medical volunteers managed 8,015 medical encounters, of which 75% were classified as nonserious and 25% as serious. Females presented with higher injury rates than males and encountered more injuries during competition. Injury rates calculated with respect to number of athletes and hours of exposure were compared. Wrestling presented with the highest incidence of injury, with the majority of problems occurring during practice sessions. Rates, time, distribution, and nature of injuries were analyzed and the effect of sex on these factors was investigated. Medical organizers must consider epidemiological information to prepare for the potentially high utilization of services, especially for the management of musculoskeletal injuries. Many athletes used the health services at these games and were provided with acute care, education, and rehabilitation. Prevention is the key to sports medicine and major games provide an environment where this can be introduced. Verf.-Referat