This summer, Paris was not only ready for peak performance in terms of sport, but also in medical regard: 1,300 additional hospital beds, extended opening hours in seven health centres and increased emergency services including medical control centres were on standby. There was also a special day clinic for athletes and a large medical centre for the team behind the scenes.
In retrospect, a heatwave made the medical staff sweat with heat-related illnesses, several cases of COVID-19 occurred, the usual sports-related injuries occurred and one of the most notable emergencies was the collapse of a swimmer.
But let’s take a look at the past: what did things look like in ancient times, when medicine didn’t involve high-tech equipment?
Well, doctors already played a central role in the ancient Olympic Games, starting with the intensive preparation of the athletes over a period of around ten months, often acting as coaches at the same time. During the Olympic Games themselves, doctors were indispensable for the treatment of injuries that occurred during the often brutal competitions. However, the medical methods were as antique as the games themselves: Treating a sprained ankle with bloodletting is thankfully no longer common today.…
Arndt, Karl-Hans; Arndt, Christel: Olympia und die Medizin: Aderlass und Salbeneinreibung. Dtsch Arztebl 2000.
https://www.aerzteblatt.de/archiv/24228/Olympia-und-die-Medizin-Aderlass-und-Salbeneinreibung