{"id":27601,"date":"2021-08-19T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T06:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/?p=27601"},"modified":"2021-08-18T16:12:58","modified_gmt":"2021-08-18T14:12:58","slug":"physicians-of-semmelweis-university-at-the-olympic-games-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/semmelweis.hu\/english\/2021\/08\/physicians-of-semmelweis-university-at-the-olympic-games-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Physicians of Semmelweis University at the Olympic Games (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

On <\/span>8 <\/span>August, the <\/span>32<\/span>nd<\/span> S<\/span>ummer <\/span>Ol<\/span>ympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s in Tokyo <\/span>ended<\/span> with an official closing ceremony. The Hungarian<\/span> Olympic <\/span>T<\/span>eam <\/span>participated in the games with<\/span> 175 people <\/span>and<\/span> was ranked<\/span> 15th in the <\/span>final <\/span>medal <\/span>count<\/span>. Semmelweis University has been involved in the <\/span>medical preparation<\/span> of <\/span>athletes<\/span> in several sports, and some of the university\u2019s staff <\/span>members <\/span>have <\/span>assisted<\/span> the teams\u2019 <\/span>successful <\/span>perform<\/span>ance<\/span> on <\/span>site<\/span>. Dr. B\u00e9la Merkely, Rector participated in the Olympic Aquatics competitions as member of the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Sports Medicine Committee. <\/span>I<\/span>n the first part of our article<\/a>, the Rector <\/span>talked about<\/span> the cooperation between the university and sports associations, as well as his experience gained on <\/span>site<\/span>. In the second part of <\/span>the<\/span> article, we <\/span>interviewed<\/span> physicians<\/span> of the Department of <\/span>Sports Medicine and the Department of <\/span>Cardiology of <\/span>the <\/span>V\u00e1rosmajor <\/span>Heart<\/span> and Vascular <\/span>Center<\/span>, Semmelweis University, who p<\/span>erformed <\/span>their <\/span>duties related to sports medicine for<\/span> the Hungarian Olympic Team <\/span>members and <\/span>the individual national teams. <\/span>Dr. Andr\u00e1s T\u00e1llay, Dr. Attila Pavlik, Dr. N\u00f3ra Syd\u00f3, Dr. Zsolt Komka and Dr. Tam\u00e1s Halasi will share their experiences.<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. <\/span>Andr\u00e1s <\/span>T\u00e1llay, <\/span>Assistant Professor of the Department of Sports Medicine, President of the Medical Committee of the Hungarian Olympic Committee, Chief Phy<\/span>sician and Deputy Team Leader of the Hungarian Olympic Team<\/h5>\n

\"\"In which competitions were <\/span>you<\/span> involved <\/span>as a physician<\/span>? W<\/span>hat were the most important tasks? <\/span>W<\/span>hat was the <\/span>bigg<\/span>est professional challenge?<\/span><\/strong>
\nAs the <\/span>chief physician <\/span>of the Hungarian Olympic Team, <\/span>I was after all involved in all<\/span> events, but I personally participated <\/span>as a physician<\/span> in the competitions of triathlon, mountain biking, surfing, sailing, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling. The biggest challenge was to <\/span>achieve that<\/span> the health state of two athletes becomes suitable for participating in competitions. One of them was <\/span>Bence Bics\u00e1k, <\/span>an athlete in triathlon, <\/span>who arrived at the Olympics injured, and <\/span>the other athlete is <\/span>Anna M\u00e1rton, a swords<\/span>wo<\/span>man. <\/span>Being able to successfully assist them with this<\/span> was a great pleasure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you had any experience <\/span>and<\/span> observation in your <\/span>own professional<\/span> field that <\/span>may<\/span> be <\/span>connected<\/span> to the Tokyo Olympics?<\/span><\/strong>
\nDuring my eighth Olympic participation, it was an important observation <\/span>related to<\/span> sports medicine that the number of upper respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases was much lower than usual because of <\/span>the measures introduced due to<\/span> the <\/span>COVID-19 <\/span>pandemic. The latter was helped by a preventive measure that we also recommended <\/span>for our athletes<\/span>: starting taking probiotics at least a week before the journey.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s, which were held without spectators for safety reasons, inevitably brought a different atmosphere, different competitions <\/span>compared to<\/span> the previous <\/span>game<\/span>s.<\/span> The fellow athletes and members of the <\/span>team<\/span> also played the role of supporters. What new experiences has this situation brought?<\/span><\/strong>
\nHopefully there w<\/span>ill no<\/span>t be more <\/span>games like <\/span>these. <\/span>I<\/span>t was unusual that <\/span>in addition to<\/span> almost every coaching instruction, even the noise of footsteps <\/span>could be<\/span> heard <\/span>during<\/span> a match. There were several athletes who personally thanked us for the support, as they were <\/span>able to see and hear us perfectly well <\/span>in the absence of the crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you <\/span>had the opportunity to<\/span> write <\/span>only<\/span> one sentence on a postcard summing up the memories of Tokyo, what would it be?<\/span><\/strong>
\nFirst, I did not believe it, but <\/span>in the end I think that <\/span>it was <\/span>a great Olympic event<\/span>, it was worth <\/span>holding it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Attila Pavlik, Assistant Professor of the Department of Sports Medicine, future President of the Hungarian Society for Sports Medicine<\/h5>\n

\"\"In which competitions were <\/span>you<\/span> involved <\/span>as a physician<\/span>? W<\/span>hat were the most important tasks? <\/span>W<\/span>hat was the <\/span>bigg<\/span>est professional challenge?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI worked primarily with the women\u2019s water polo team and the table tennis team, but I also tried to keep a close eye on the events of the women\u2019s handball team and sailing. I would not single out a specific medical case from <\/span>the <\/span>competitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you had any experience <\/span>and<\/span> observation in your <\/span>own professional<\/span> field that <\/span>may<\/span> be <\/span>connected<\/span> to the Tokyo Olympics?<\/span><\/strong>
\nFortunately, there were far fewer illnesses <\/span>related to infections<\/span> than usual, probably <\/span>because of<\/span> mask wear<\/span>ing<\/span> and <\/span>the<\/span> regular disinfection due to COVID-19.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s, which were held without spectators for safety reasons, inevitably brought a different atmosphere, different competitions <\/span>compared to<\/span> the previous <\/span>game<\/span>s.<\/span> The fellow athletes and members of the <\/span>team<\/span> also played the role of supporters. What new experiences has this situation brought?<\/span><\/strong>
\nIn the absence of the usual noise <\/span>of supporters<\/span>, of course, it was much <\/span>easier<\/span> to communicate with the <\/span>athletes<\/span> during the matches <\/span>compared to<\/span> previous<\/span> competitions. <\/span>It w<\/span>as interesting <\/span>to experience<\/span> that the players\u2019 <\/span>communication among each other was<\/span> also audible, but the lack of spectators significantly <\/span>had an effect on the atmosphere of the competitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you <\/span>had the opportunity to<\/span> write <\/span>only<\/span> one sentence on a postcard summing up the memories of Tokyo, what would it be?<\/span><\/strong>
\nWe were able to take part in much more enjoyable Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s than expected, the <\/span>performance of the<\/span> athletes <\/span>w<\/span>a<\/span>s truly<\/span> fantastic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr. N\u00f3ra Syd\u00f3, Assistant Lecturer of the Department of Cardiology and the Department of Sports Medicine, Sports Physician of the Hungarian Swimming Team<\/h5>\n

\"\"In which competitions were <\/span>you<\/span> involved <\/span>as a physician<\/span>? W<\/span>hat were the most important tasks? <\/span>W<\/span>hat was the <\/span>bigg<\/span>est professional challenge?<\/span><\/strong>
\nAs a physician for our national swimm<\/span>ing team<\/span>, I participated in their competitions. Unfortunately, due to the strict COVID-19 <\/span>regulation<\/span>s, I did not have the opportunity to attend other <\/span>competitions<\/span>, but it would not have fit into my <\/span>tight schedule<\/span>, as I had the largest team, I had a total of 34 <\/span>athletes<\/span>. The preliminaries were <\/span>held <\/span>in the afternoon<\/span>s<\/span> and the finals <\/span>were held <\/span>in the morning<\/span>s<\/span>, which was unusual as it used to be <\/span>just <\/span>the other way round in all swimming competitions. Th<\/span>erefore<\/span>, all <\/span>athletes<\/span> had to be in top form <\/span>already <\/span>by morning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, no major illnesses occurred among swimmers. In my opinion, this was also due to the fact that all <\/span>athletes<\/span> traveled to Tokyo in <\/span>an <\/span>excellent condition. <\/span>Th<\/span>is was probably also supported by the fact <\/span>that everyone <\/span>had <\/span>under<\/span>gone <\/span>a detailed sports cardiology examination <\/span>earlier at the V\u00e1rosmajor Heart and Vascular Center<\/span>, which <\/span>was performed by <\/span>my colleague, <\/span>Dr. <\/span>Emese Csulak <\/span>and myself. Therefore,<\/span> the<\/span>re was an opportunity then to correct any <\/span>factors influencing the performanc<\/span>e, if necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you had any experience <\/span>and<\/span> observation in your <\/span>own professional<\/span> field that <\/span>may<\/span> be <\/span>connected<\/span> to the Tokyo Olympics?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI <\/span>am<\/span> always <\/span>fascinated by<\/span> the <\/span>cohesi<\/span>on<\/span> and orderliness <\/span>of some of the teams. At the warm-up pool, each team has a designated place where the <\/span>swimmers <\/span>change clothes, warm up and prepare for the competition. The British team in front of us had separate staff to conduct the warm-up, prepare the equipment, arrange warm-up coats and other aids. Our team is also constantly <\/span>develop<\/span>ing: we have taken a dietary supplement package for the <\/span>athletes<\/span> prepared by our dietitian, but new ideas can <\/span>always <\/span>be <\/span>gained<\/span> from the other teams during each competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s, which were held without spectators for safety reasons, inevitably brought a different atmosphere, different competitions <\/span>compared to<\/span> the previous <\/span>game<\/span>s.<\/span> The fellow athletes and members of the <\/span>team<\/span> also played the role of supporters. What new experiences has this situation brought?<\/span><\/strong>
\nThe atmosphere of the competition was obviously different, as <\/span>at <\/span>the 15,000-seat auditorium <\/span>of the swimming pool, <\/span>roughly 2,000 athletes and crew members <\/span>supported the teams<\/span>. Over the past year and a half, <\/span>athletes<\/span> have almost become accustomed to this.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you <\/span>had the opportunity to<\/span> write <\/span>only<\/span> one sentence on a postcard summing up the memories of Tokyo, what would it be?<\/span><\/strong>
\nIt was a <\/span>fantastic<\/span> experience <\/span>to be able to participate <\/span>in the <\/span>32<\/span>nd<\/span> Summer Olympic <\/span>Games at the age of 32.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Zsolt Komka, Assistant Lecturer of the Department of Cardiology, Sports Physician of the Hungarian Kayak-Canoe Team<\/h5>\n

\"\"In which competitions were <\/span>you<\/span> involved <\/span>as a physician<\/span>? W<\/span>hat were the most important tasks? <\/span>W<\/span>hat was the <\/span>bigg<\/span>est professional challenge?<\/span><\/strong>
\nI was assigned to <\/span>assist <\/span>the kayak-canoe team all along. In addition to my duties <\/span>of being a sports physician<\/span>, I <\/span>was also a <\/span>COVID-19 Liaison Officer, which is a <\/span>huge<\/span> responsibility in th<\/span>e current<\/span> pandemic<\/span> situation. The most important special task from a medical point of view in the case of outdoor sports, such as kayak-<\/span>canoe<\/span>, was to help <\/span>athletes<\/span> with the 7-hour transition. The other priority was the optimal fluid and electrolyte <\/span>replacement<\/span>, as in Japan, athletes have to bring the best performance of their lives under extreme conditions. 35, even 40 Celsius <\/span>degrees<\/span> are<\/span> not uncommon at this time of <\/span>the <\/span>year. <\/span>Furthermore, <\/span>speaking of a seaside location, <\/span>the relative humidity is <\/span>of <\/span>70-90%. The organizers did their best to minimize malaise: stations <\/span>for refreshments <\/span>were installed in many places, <\/span>mist<\/span> gates and air-conditioned rest rooms were available for the athletes, yet the <\/span>heat<\/span> gave the ambulances <\/span>quite <\/span>a number of tasks. The Hungarian <\/span>K<\/span>ayak-<\/span>C<\/span>anoe <\/span>T<\/span>eam received special cooling vests from the association for testing at home. <\/span>T<\/span>hey did a really good service at the Olympic venue, and we also brought <\/span>portable<\/span> ice bath<\/span>s with ourselves. <\/span>It is the responsibility of the team doctor to keep the athlete in a condition <\/span>suitable for competition<\/span> on the day of the competition, both physically and mentally. In addition to our large delegation of 34 people, some small problems are inevitable: the most common <\/span>illnesses are<\/span> upper respiratory, gastrointestinal and <\/span>musculoskeletal<\/span> problems and injuries. Minor illnesses still occurred, which we managed to control. <\/span>A<\/span>ll athletes were able to <\/span>participate in the competitions<\/span> and were able to perform as expected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you had any experience <\/span>and<\/span> observation in your <\/span>own professional<\/span> field that <\/span>may<\/span> be <\/span>connected<\/span> to the Tokyo Olympics?<\/span><\/strong>
\nWe have been preparing specifically for the Tokyo Olympics for several years. <\/span>W<\/span>e <\/span>traveled there<\/span> in 2018 <\/span>with a smaller team, <\/span>and tested<\/span> the training camp and the <\/span>venue of the <\/span>competition with <\/span>10<\/span> athletes <\/span>during<\/span> two weeks. We further refined our experience<\/span>s<\/span> at the Pre-Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s <\/span>in 2019<\/span>, where we modeled the planned <\/span>journey<\/span>, training camp acclimatization, accommodations and <\/span>later <\/span>the <\/span>competition<\/span> conditions <\/span>and circumstances<\/span> at the Olympic venue. <\/span>Based on our research results, joint Hungarian Olympic Committee recommendations were also made for 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s, which were held without spectators for safety reasons, inevitably brought a different atmosphere, different competitions <\/span>compared to<\/span> the previous <\/span>game<\/span>s.<\/span> The fellow athletes and members of the <\/span>team<\/span> also played the role of supporters. What new experiences has this situation brought?<\/span><\/strong>
\nThe training camp was significantly stricter and more closed than <\/span>it was known <\/span>in the pre-pandemic c<\/span>ircumstances<\/span>. <\/span>I<\/span>n Japan, <\/span>the level of <\/span>population COVID-19 <\/span>immunity is<\/span> minimal: <\/span>d<\/span>espite daily negative PCR tests and <\/span>being <\/span>asymptomatic, <\/span>we <\/span>were completely isolated, <\/span>were <\/span>transported by <\/span>a separate <\/span>bus everywhere. <\/span>T<\/span>he training camp was only open to us in specific time <\/span>spans<\/span>, locals <\/span>were not allowed to<\/span> use it. Instead of <\/span>spectators<\/span>, the <\/span>athletes<\/span> were able to <\/span>support each other<\/span>, <\/span>therefore, together with coaches and team leaders, <\/span>small <\/span>supporting crowds emerged. Obviously, this does not replace the atmosphere provided by a large crowd, but perhaps it strengthened the team unity a bit.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you <\/span>had the opportunity to<\/span> write <\/span>only<\/span> one sentence on a postcard summing up the memories of Tokyo, what would it be?<\/span><\/strong>
\n\u201cFaster, Higher, Stronger\u2026 Together.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Dr. Tam\u00e1s Halasi, Retired Lecturer of the Department of Sports Medicine, President of the Hungarian Society for Sports Medicine, Member of the Medical Committee of the Hungarian Olympic Committee<\/span><\/h5>\n

\"\"In which competitions were <\/span>you<\/span> involved <\/span>as a physician<\/span>? W<\/span>hat were the most important tasks? <\/span>W<\/span>hat was the <\/span>bigg<\/span>est professional challenge?<\/span><\/strong>
\nGymnastics, wrestling and rhythmic gymnastics belonged directly to me, but I also accompanied badminton and table tennis players. As a member of the so-called central team, I was also on duty in the <\/span>medical office sometimes. <\/span>In some cases, we discussed the necessary treatments <\/span>in the framework of a consultation<\/span>, but there were very few <\/span>occasions<\/span>. Fortunately, I can<\/span>not <\/span>report <\/span>about <\/span>an explicit professional challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n

Have you had any experience <\/span>and<\/span> observation in your <\/span>own professional<\/span> field that <\/span>may<\/span> be <\/span>connected<\/span> to the Tokyo Olympics?<\/span><\/strong>
\nThere were no new experience<\/span>s <\/span>for me, maybe because this event <\/span>was<\/span> already my fifth <\/span>S<\/span>ummer Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s, which were held without spectators for safety reasons, inevitably brought a different atmosphere, different competitions <\/span>compared to<\/span> the previous <\/span>game<\/span>s.<\/span> The fellow athletes and members of the <\/span>team<\/span> also played the role of supporters. What new experiences has this situation brought?<\/span><\/strong>
\nThe lack of spectators is irreplaceable. The small Hungarian group participating in the competitions, the staff and the members of the <\/span>medical<\/span> team did what they could.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you <\/span>had the opportunity to<\/span> write <\/span>only<\/span> one sentence on a postcard summing up the memories of Tokyo, what would it be?<\/span><\/strong>
\nThe <\/span>medical activities<\/span> w<\/span>ere <\/span>well prepared, calm and safe. The Olympic <\/span>Game<\/span>s were <\/span>less colourful<\/span> compared to the <\/span>previous games<\/span>, but <\/span>overall the event<\/span> was successful for us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bal\u00e1zs Hiller
\nPhoto source: Dr. Andr\u00e1s T\u00e1llay, Dr. Zsolt Komka, Dr. Attila Pavlik, Dr. N\u00f3ra Syd\u00f3
\nTranslation: Katalin Ill\u00e9s-Romh\u00e1nyi<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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