World-class rehabilitation facilities at Olympics and Paralympics

Athletes can expect state-of-the-art physiotherapy and other medical service at the Olympic Village.

The polyclinics (or small hospitals) have physiotherapy treatment and rehabilitation areas, hydrotherapy and cryotherapy facilities (including cryobaths) and an extensive massage area, all complementing the highest standards of care for athletes.

There are also physiotherapy and massage facilities available at training and competition venues where physiotherapists and massage therapists are available to take care of athletes. All of these stations are well-equipped with electrotherapy, cryotherapy, strapping, tapes and so on.

In addition, all NOC teams have a treatment area within their residence and access to a wide range of excellent physiotherapy equipment.

Physiotherapist Lynn Booth and her team have worked hard to ensure that skilled, experienced sports physiotherapists, sports massage therapists, osteopaths and chiropractors have been recruited to deliver these services to the highest standards.

“I'm absolutely confident in the ability of these people to deliver a great service,” says Lynn. “One of the biggest jobs, and the one I've spent a great deal of time on over the past few months, is getting the right skill mix for different events and locations. We've tried, as far as possible, to get the volunteers working in fields they're familiar with.”

“Some of the more experienced physiotherapists, who have the right experience and qualifications, will be at the side of the field of play, ready to help those teams and individuals who do not have their own backup,” says Lynn. She has been working full-time on the Olympics since the start of June, though her planning of skill-mix and work allocations started in 2010. She admits that it has been tiring, but with the games about to start, the sense of anticipation is enormous.


Information from The World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT).

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