Injuries and illnesses during the 54th FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2023 in Planica: a prospective cohort study

To describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries and illnesses that occurred during the 54th Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica (Slovenia) 2023, including the disciplines of cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping.

In this prospective cohort study, national medical teams and the medical team of the local organiser collected data on a daily basis on all new, exacerbated or recurrent injuries and illnesses of the registered athletes using the IOC consensus recommendations.

There were 596 registered athletes (250 women, 346 men), all with access to medical services. The national medical teams covered 347 (58.2%) athletes with a response rate of 77.1%. A total of 24 injuries, corresponding to an incidence rate of 4.0 per 100 athletes (95% CI, 2.5 to 5.6), and 15 illnesses, corresponding to an incidence rate of 2.5 per 100 athletes (95% CI, 1.3 to 3.8), were reported. The lower extremities were the most common injury location (58.3%), and every second injury in this category was a knee injury. The predominant injury types were joint sprains/ligament tears (25.0%) and contusions/bruises (25.0%). A total of three concussions (12.5% of all injuries) were reported, all of them in ski jumping. Among the illnesses, infections (73.3%) were the most common aetiology, and the respiratory system (53.3%) was the most frequently affected organ system.

Special attention should be given to knee injuries in all disciplines and concussions in ski jumping. A high proportion of the recorded illnesses were of infectious origin. The reduction in hygiene regulations after the COVID-19 pandemic could have contributed to this.