Slovenian athletes in Paris with top medical support

Slovenians will be cheering on a record 90 Slovenian athletes at this year's Olympics. Their medical team, made up of highly qualified doctors and physiotherapists, has been preparing intensively for the event for more than a year.

As Matjaž Vogrin, head of the medical team and chairman of the Medical Commission of the Slovenian Olympic Committee (OKS), explained to the STA, the team takes care of the Olympic athletes not only before and during the Olympics but throughout the entire preparation period - from one Olympics to the next.

The OKS established a few years ago a network of Olympic Reference Sports and Medical Centres, which means that top athletes and Olympic athletes can access top-quality medical services any time, from diagnostics, surgery, therapy and physiotherapy to psychological support and appropriate sport nutrition, at a number of locations across Slovenia.

"It's crucial that the medical team is assembled in time and that it includes only the best experts in their fields who can provide the highest quality medical care to the athletes. After all, this is about Olympic medals," said Vogrin, who has worked with top athletes for a long time. Among other things, he is the head of the medical team of Slovenia's national football team.

The main goal of the Slovenian Olympic athletes' medical team is to bring athletes to the Olympics as healthy and fit as possible, and to respond appropriately if health issues arise. According to the head of the physiotherapy team, Jure Bornšek, it is very important that during the preparation period the athletes also do regular preventive exercise, specific training sessions and therapies to reduce the chance of injury.

Paris Games could be one of the more successful

Health-wise, all Slovenian athletes going to Paris are fit for the Olympic Games, Vogrin said. Only one had to cancel her participation due to a serious injury.

Bornšek said that the athletes are very well prepared this year. "Sometimes in these competitions you need a good day, good conditions and a bit of luck. If all this comes together, I think the Games in Paris will be one of the more successful ones," he stressed.

The medical team will travel to Paris a week before the Games, on 19 July. "This is when the athletes start arriving in the Olympic Village, and it's important that they are provided with medical care from the start," said Vogrin.

Importance of communication and cooperation

At the Olympic Village the medical team has its own premises, or as Vogrin put it, a "mini-medical centre" where it can carry out medical activities. "This way, all athletes can request medical assistance at any time in real time," he said. At the same time the Olympic Village provides athletes with a clinic, an emergency centre and a pharmacy.

Doctors and physical therapists also hold daily meetings with the coaches of each athlete and team to coordinate plans for the coming day. "We decide who will be on duty for a particular match, check if any athletes are having problems, who needs medical attention and agree on how we will take action," explained Vogrin.

Each medical team members has their assignments at the Games. Vogrin's area is, for example, sports injuries, in which he specialises, but at the same time there has to be a doctor to take care of internal medicine, nutrition and hydration.

Doctors who specialise in injuries are usually more often present in combat sport, such as judo, where there is a greater chance of injury, while others cover areas where there is a greater strain on the cardiovascular system, Vogrin explained. The medical team also features Robi Kelc, Nada Rotovnik Kozjek, Matjaž Turel and Saša Đurić.

Physiotherapists work alongside doctors all the time, as they jointly make up a complete healthcare team. "Most athletes have their own personal or club physical therapist with whom they work throughout the season. So it often happens that I meet an athlete for the first time at the Olympics, but I have no problem with that. I do my job professionally and adapt to the athlete the best I can," Bornšek said.

Sometimes there are too many competition venues and the medical team cannot cover all areas at the same time. Good communication is therefore of key importance.

"For example, at this year's sailing competitions in Marseille, we will only have physical therapists, no doctors. But we will be in contact with doctors via phone and video, so we take action if necessary," said Vogrin. The men's volleyball team will not have a doctor, while the women's and men's handball teams will have only one between them.

Athlete has the say in case of injury or poor health just before a competition

Sometimes it is not clear before a competition whether an athlete will be able to compete due to an injury or deteriorating health condition. In such cases, Bornšek says, the medical team takes on great responsibility.

"We try to understand the athlete, for whom that competition means everything. But at the same time we have to be aware of the risk that the athlete may suffer even more serious injuries or damage to their health during the competition," he stressed.

"In many cases, elite sport is very close to damaging health. Our job is to warn the athlete where that edge is, but at the same time to enable them to reach it safely," Vogrin said. But the final decision on whether to compete despite the risk lies with the athlete.

"These are dramatic moments. In normal situations, athletes would certainly rest and not compete. But of course, with big competitions like the Olympics, which for some are literally a lifetime goal, it's different and they are often willing to take risks. Especially when Olympic medals are in question," said Vogrin, who has witnessed such decisions by athletes on several occasions. "Athletes have won medals in this way in the past, fortunately without lasting consequences," he added.

In exceptional cases, the medical team also uses rapid methods to speed up recovery. For example, Bornšek used one of the physiotherapy methods with an athlete who suffered from back pain a few days before competing at the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

"I arrived at the Olympic Village the day after the athlete's injury and performed a spinal manipulation technique late in the evening, which we don't normally do before competitions because it causes an inflammatory reaction for a few days. This was handled with a large amount of painkillers, adapted training sessions and two therapies per day. Bad start, good ending - the athlete was able to compete afterwards without any problems," Bornšek said.

As he explained, chronic injuries which prevent athletes from being optimally prepared for competition account for the largest proportion of injuries in athletes. Injuries are also often caused by busy schedules that leave athletes tired and stressed. During the Olympic year, many athletes adjust to the Games and many skip most of the season's competitions or only take part in the most important ones.

Trust in the medical team key to athletes' success

Vogrin said that medical teams rarely make serious interventions at the Olympics. "However, it is precisely in these critical moments that the full trust between athletes and doctors is essential to achieve the common goals of both excellent sporting results and safeguarding the athlete's health," he said.

So, although the medical team usually works behind the scenes, it has a crucial and responsible role. "It's important not to expose ourselves, but to focus only on helping the athlete to the best of our ability. In practice, this means being present at the competitions, letting the athlete know you are there, but being so much on the sidelines that they forget about you," Bornšek added.