Among elite athletes disordered eating (DE) behavior as well as eating disorders (ED) are one of the most common mental illnesses. According to Sundgot-Borgen et al. [1] DE can be illustrated by a continuum ranging from performance-oriented eating and exercise behaviors to subclinical EDs and clinical EDs such as Anorexia nervosa (AN) and Bulimia nervosa (BN) along with other medical complications and impairment of performance.
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Changes in public life, isolation, quarantine, and associated constraints within usual routine, as well as anxieties and concerns, are just some of many examples of psychiatric burdens caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (1). Not only the general population, but professional athletes in particular, are exposed to these challenges, as professional sports came to an abrupt halt upon occurrence of COVID-19.
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Anxiety is in principle a normal and (often) helpful emotion in humans and animals. However, anxiety can get excessive and be impairing and disabling. If anxiety is excessive in intensity and duration, occurs in actually non-dangerous situations, uncontrollable, and impairs actions, an anxiety disorder is typically diagnosed [2].
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Mental disorders are common in competitive sports. They can influence performance, increase the risk of physical injuries and prolong rehabilitation. A specialized discipline for mental health has not (yet) been established. This position paper will emphasize the connection between the special requirements in competitive sports and the need of psychiatric specialization.
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a global crisis of unprecedented scale in modern times. The initial outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan spread rapidly, affecting other parts of China and soon other countries becoming a global threat. (1)
On 11 March 2020, the WHO has declared the ‘Pandemic state’ calling the governments to take ‘urgent and aggressive action’ to delay and mitigate the peak of infection.
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Competitive and elite sport often challenges the balance between health and performance, especially when it involves youth athletes. As Lausanne was getting ready to host the 2020 winter Youth Olympic Games, we had the opportunity to reflect on these challenges and on what they mean for sports medicine practitioners. Elite sport pushes athletes to the limit, be it through their own intrinsic drive to achieve ever more, or through the pressures of the multiple stakeholders around sport.
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How fortunate to have been able to take part in the medical organisation of the Lausanne 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) as head of the Olympic Village Medical Clinic and Medical Education Programme manager, while introducing some innovations to the Games!
From a clinical point of view, the temporary creation of a high quality interdisciplinary medical clinic provided all participants aged 14 to 18 years old with global and equitable care. We adopted the WHO criteria to offer an adolescent friendly setting.
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This interview was conducted by Dr Boris Gojanovic after the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games.
Richard, can you please introduce yourself, as a medical doctor and an athlete.
I am the medical and scientific director for the IOC and I started off in life as a rower. As an athlete, I had the privilege to compete in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and I won a gold medal there.
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Purpose: The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) are an elite sporting event for young athletes aged 15-18 years from all over the world. In the third Youth Olympic Winter Games, held in Lausanne in 2020, there were 16 disciplines and 81 events. In previous reports regarding YOG, injury risk was highest in the skiing events and alpine ski had a high rate, 14% in 2012 and 12.9% in 2016. The purpose of this report is to discuss the rescue organization, investigate the incidence of alpine ski injury during YOG 2020 and compare to previous reports.
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Since the first report from the 1968 Olympic Games, many studies have consistently reported poor oral health in elite athletes without any differences regarding socio-economic status or continental location. Poor oral health is an important issue as it has a clear impact on quality of life, confidence, appearance and socialisation. It also has an impact on sport performance and training with impaired preparation for competition. Many causes to impaired oral health can include nutritional diet and carbohydrate supplementation, oral dehydration, depression of various aspect of the immune function due to intense exercise, negative health behaviours, lack of awareness, time and prioritisation.
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