Experience of the Canadian medical team at the 21st Olympiad

The Canadian medical team at the 21st Olympiad--11 therapists, 8 physicians and 2 nurses--was larger than necessary, partly because the Canadian athletes were not affected by the stresses of competition in a foreign land and partly because many used the medical facilities established by le comité organisateur des Jeux olympiques. There were few injuries of a serious nature or of lasting consequence among the Canadian athletes; only 10 of the 475 athletes were withdrawn from competition on the advice of the medical staff. On the average the athletes had two visits to a physician and five treatments by a therapist. Track and field competitors accounted for the largest number of visits to the therapy clinic, and musculoskeletal problems were the most frequent type. Most of the treatment consisted of local supportive measures.