August 1, 2012

1 min read

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Leg and Head Injuries Are Frequent at the Olympics

Athletes are injured frequently—badminton players more so than ski jumpers

By Mark Fischetti

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Editor’s Note (02/08/18): Scientific American is re-posting the following article, originally published August 1, 2012, in light of the 2018 Winter Games which begin on February 9 in PyeongChang, South Korea.

We rarely see it happen on television, but one in 10 Olympians will get hurt during the games, if the past is any guide (left). About three quarters of the injuries occur during some phase of competition and one quarter during warm-ups or on-site training, according to Lars Engebretsen of the University of Oslo in Norway, who compiled the data. Summer athletes tend to ruin their legs; winter athletes bang their heads (below). The causes vary greatly: collisions (soccer), stick strikes (field hockey), high-speed wipeouts (bobsledding). The damage leader—snowboard cross—involves frequent contact between boarders in a free-for-all downhill race. Sailing is nearly harm-free. Engebretsen says injury rates in most professional sports, such as football and soccer, are higher, although data are inconsistent.

Credit: Graphic by Jen Christiansen, Illustrations by MCKIBILLO; Source: Lars Engebretsen, University of Oslo

Mark Fischetti was a senior editor at Scientific American for nearly 20 years and covered sustainability issues, including climate, environment, energy, and more. He assigned and edited feature articles and news by journalists and scientists and also wrote in those formats. He was founding managing editor of two spin-off magazines: Scientific American Mind and Scientific American Earth 3.0. His 2001 article “Drowning New Orleans” predicted the widespread disaster that a storm like Hurricane Katrina would impose on the city. Fischetti has written as a freelancer for the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Smithsonian and many other outlets. He co-authored the book Weaving the Web with Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, which tells the real story of how the Web was created. He also co-authored The New Killer Diseases with microbiologist Elinor Levy. Fischetti has a physics degree and has twice served as Attaway Fellow in Civic Culture at Centenary College of Louisiana, which awarded him an honorary doctorate. In 2021 he received the American Geophysical Union’s Robert C. Cowen Award for Sustained Achievement in Science Journalism. He has appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN, the History Channel, NPR News and many radio stations.

More by Mark Fischetti
Scientific American Magazine Vol 307 Issue 2This article was published with the title “Olympic Hurtfuls” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 307 No. 2 (), p. 92
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0812-92
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