Injury and illness surveillance at the International Sailing Federation Sailing World Championships 2014.

Abstract

The Sailing World Championships 2014 was contested by 1167 sailors in all 10 Olympic classes. Our objective was to characterise sailing-related injuries and illnesses in sailors participating in this regatta. We conducted 2 surveys: (1) prior to the World Championships, sailors answered a 12-month recall questionnaire on sailing-related injuries and illnesses and (2) during the Championships, injuries and illnesses were documented. There were 760 respondents (65% of all participants) for the 12-month recall questionnaire (58% male, 42% female), of whom 244 participants reported 299 injuries (0.59 injuries per 1000 h of sailing). Injuries were most prevalent in the 49erFX (64%), RS:X Women (39%), 49er (37%) and Nacra 17 (36%). Lower back (29% of sailors), knee (13%), shoulder (12%) and ankle (10%) injuries were most prevalent; most (58% of all injuries) were overuse injuries; and 56% of sailors lost sailing time. Most illnesses (40%) were infections, primarily of the respiratory system (43%). During the Championships, there were 67 injuries (4 per 1000 days of sailing). The 49er (24% of all injuries), 470 Men and Women (24%), and 49erFX (19%) had the highest incidence. Injuries to the hand/fingers (22% of all injuries), back (18%), and foot (12%) were most common, as were contusions (37% of all injuries), cuts/lacerations (24%), and sprains (9%). Of the 29 illnesses (2 per 1000 days of sailing), 9 (31%) were gastrointestinal and 6 (21%) respiratory, while 2 (7%) were gout attacks. The Olympic classes introduced since 2000 (49erFX, 49er, Nacra 17) have resulted in a rise in injuries.