Olympic medical teams take the gold for athletic care

healio.com · Feb 21, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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February 18, 2026 3 min read Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . Added to email alerts We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com. Key takeaways: Many volunteers have trained for rescues in extreme spaces. Physicians apply to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to serve. Personnel coordinate with local and regional EMS and trauma centers. The recent Olympic downhill skiing crash of Lindsey Vonn, just 13 seconds into her run, offered the world a stark reminder of how dangerous elite winter sports can be. Within moments of her high-speed fall, she was assessed and stabilized slopeside, evacuated by helicopter and transported to a nearby trauma center, where she underwent emergency surgery performed by a coordinated team of American and Italian physicians. Dedicated medical professionals stand ready to treat challenging injuries in hazardous locations, like Lindsey Vonn’s mountainside crash, during the Olympic Games. While the images of the crash captured global attention, the rapid, seamless medical response highlighted an often invisible but indispensable group: the Olympic medical teams. These highly trained professionals are truly the unsung heroes of the Olympic Games. Serving around the clock, they travel with and care for Team USA athletes not only during the Olympics, but throughout years of training camps, domestic competitions and international events. Robert Glatter Many are volunteers who are not paid for their services beyond room, board and meals and who devote extraordinary amounts of time away from demanding professional careers, motivated by a shared mission — to protect the health, safety and performance of elite athletes. Through thousands of hours of simulation training and hands-on experience, these medical teams are prepared for emergency rescues and resuscitations on icy slopes, in arenas and ringside. They are trained to make rapid, high-stakes decisions under extreme conditions, providing immediate medical and psychological care not only to athletes, but also to coaches, officials and support staff. Often unseen, waiting in freezing conditions at the base of a mountain or in the shadows of an arena, these professionals must be ready to act at a moment’s notice. Vonn’s crash is a powerful example of how quickly catastrophe can strike. While deaths at the Olympic Games are rare, injuries and illness are common during training and competition. Many members of these medical teams are as dedicated and disciplined as the athletes themselves. Most begin volunteering at local school or community sporting events, gradually advancing to regional, national and international competitions, ultimately forming a critical safety net for athletes at every level. Olympic medical teams are highly specialized, multidisciplinary groups. They include emergency physicians, orthopedic surgeons, trauma surgeons, sports medicine specialists, and general surgeons, as well as psychologists and mental health consultants. Together, they deliver comprehensive care ranging from injury prevention and daily health screening to emergency response and logistical support, surgery coordination and psychological support. Peter J. Papadakos The path to becoming an Olympic physician is long and demanding. Many cultivate an interest during medical school or residency and pursue additional fellowship training, often in sports medicine. Physicians represent a broad spectrum of specialties, including orthopedics, emergency medicine, internal medicine, family medicine, trauma surgery and general surgery. Nonphysician health care professionals such as physical therapists, athletic trainers, chiropractors, massage therapists, mental health professionals and even dentists are equally vital members of the team, united by a shared passion for sports and athlete well-being. Health professionals apply through the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. If selected, they report to one of three Olympic training centers — Colorado Springs, Lake Placid or Chula Vista — where they undergo an intensive evaluation and training process. Over several weeks, they must demonstrate not only clinical excellence, but also the ability to function under pressure, communicate effectively with elite athletes and coaches and work seamlessly within a multidisciplinary team. Successful candidates then progress to internships at domestic national competitions, followed by international assignments. Only a select few ultimately earn the privilege of serving at the Olympic Games. At the current Winter Games in Italy, multiple medical teams are deployed across venues in Milan, Cortina and Livigno and at mountain sites such as Bormio and Anterselva. The host nation has also established a massive parallel medical infrastructure, coordinating closely with international teams. Local and regional EMS and trauma centers stand ready to provide advanced surgical and critical care, while ambulances and helicopters with specialized paramedic crews are strategically positioned for rapid response. This extraordinary level of preparation reflects unparalleled international cooperation in support of athlete safety. Thanks to this exceptional system and the dedication of these unseen professionals, Olympic athletes receive world-class care when it matters most, just as Vonn did. Their work may rarely make headlines, but without them, the Olympic Games simply could not go on. For more information: Robert Glatter, MD, assistant professor at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, can be reached at rglatter@northwell.edu and on Instagram, LinkedIn and X. Peter J. Papadakos, MD, FCCM, FAARC, FCCP, director of critical care medicine and professor of anesthesiology, surgery and neurosurgery at the University of Rochester, can be reached at Peter_Papadakos@URMC.Rochester.edu. Sources/Disclosures Source: Expert Submission Disclosures: Glatter reports holding membership on the CaringKind board of directors. Papadakos reports no relevant financial disclosures. Ask a clinical question and tap into Healio AI's knowledge base. PubMed, enrolling/recruiting trials, guidelines Clinical Guidance, Healio CME, FDA news Healio's exclusive daily news coverage of clinical data Read more about Add topic to email alerts Receive an email when new articles are posted on Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on . Added to email alerts We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.