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An Olympic-sized job A lot goes into keeping American athletes ready
By Tom Abdenour SYDNEY, Australia -- The Olympic Games represent the pinnacle of athletic achievement for many. An injury should be the least of anyone's concerns. So in order to make sure physical problems are minimized during the Games, the United States Olympic Committee has assembled a medical staff available to each of the more than 600 Olympians representing the United States. Our medical staff is prepared for virtually anything. There are nearly 40 physicians and athletic trainers chosen by the USOC to facilitate the medical coverage for American athletes. Physicians and athletic trainers have been selected based on volunteer work at other events -- such as the Pan American Games -- and by working at an Olympic Training Center, such as the center in Colorado Springs. Members of the 2000 USA Olympic Medical Team keep an eye out on athletes at practices and competitions in specific sports. These include Olympic sports that are well known, such as gymnastics, swimming and track and field. We also work the sports that may be more popular overseas, such as fencing, judo and cycling. In the Olympic Village, the USA Team has a sports medicine clinic and physician's office. We have all sorts of treatment options, including ultrasound and electrical stimulator units, along with all the essential rehabilitation equipment. In addition, the clinic's physicians provide medical examinations and treatment as necessary. The clinic's routine hours are from 7 a.m. until the end of the day's competition. An athletic trainer and physician spend the night to handle any overnight emergency. In cases that require essential diagnostic testing, the Village has the "polyclinic," which is available to all countries for X-ray, lab work and MRIs. A room at the hotel that houses the men's and women's basketball teams has been converted into a nice sized training room, similar to ones other teams residing outside the Olympic Village have. At the conclusion of the Olympics, the USOC will gear up for the Paralympics, which begin in October. These games are for the physically challenged and will be set up in a similar fashion to what we have already in place. My assigned sport here in Sydney is men's basketball. Keith Jones of the Houston Rockets has been selected by USA Basketball to work with our men's team, too. So far, we've been lucky in that there have been no serious injuries to any of the "Dream Teamers" as they strive for the gold medal. That has made this truly exciting, once-in-a-lifetime experience all the better.
Note: A physical ailment cannot be properly evaluated without a full medical examination by a licensed physician. The above is not represented to be a substitute for such an examination. The NBTA
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and CNNSI.com recommend and encourage you to consult with a physician before beginning any course of treatment for any physical ailment.
