Prospective analysis of medical conditions and interventions among athlete and non-athlete groups at 2 major international multi-sport tournaments

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BACKGROUND: Medical preparedness for major international multi-sport tournaments requires effective planning of venue medical services for athlete and non-athlete populations. Understanding differences in medical intervention patterns is essential for resource allocation. OBJECTIVES: To compare on-site medical interventions, hospital transports, and related medical conditions managed by venue medical teams (VMTs) between athlete and non-athlete populations during 2 international multi-sport tournaments, and to identify sport disciplines associated with higher hospital transport rates among athletes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective data from the World Games 2017 and the European Games 2023, both held in Poland, were analyzed. The study included 9,672 athletes and 355,215 non-athletes. Interventions were classified as on-site medical interventions and hospital transports. Medical conditions were classified as injuries or illnesses and as mild or severe. Incidence rates per 1,000 participant-days and event rates per 100 participants were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 1,021 medical interventions and 114 hospital transports were recorded. Compared with non-athletes, athletes demonstrated substantially higher incidence rates across all analyzed outcomes. The pooled incidence rate ratio (IRR) was 5.88 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 5.19-6.65) for total medical interventions and 16.69 (95% CI: 11.24-24.77) for hospital transports, with the largest between-group differences observed for injury-related medical interventions (IRR = 10.87, 95% CI: 8.76-13.49) and injury-related hospital transports (IRR = 24.44, 95% CI: 15.30-39.05). Mild conditions predominated in both groups, whereas injury-related conditions accounted for a greater proportion of medical interventions among athletes and illness-related conditions among non-athletes. Hospital transports were uncommon in both groups but occurred substantially more frequently among athletes and were predominantly injury-related. Muaythai, American football, BMX freestyle cycling, sumo, and beach handball had the highest hospital transport rates. CONCLUSIONS: Athletes and non-athletes demonstrated distinct patterns of medical interventions and related medical conditions during major international multi-sport tournaments. Combined surveillance of both populations provides a comprehensive assessment of VMT workload and supports evidence-based medical planning for future tournaments.