Athletes compete in the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (© World Athletics 
Dan Vernon)
A video series providing guidance on emergency extrication on the field of play has been developed as part of a collaboration between the World Athletics Health & Science Department, the IOC Health, Medicine and Science Department, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations and the medical department of the Paris 2024 Organising Committee.
The videos are intended to guide medical and operational teams on best practices, illustrating various scenarios such as those in sand and water venues.
They aim to promote consistency, preparedness and the highest standards of care across different fields of play. The videos demonstrate gold standard procedures, even though specific practices may differ between sports and countries.
For athletics, the ‘endurance running’ video demonstrates the emergency extrication and management of heat stroke during a long-distance endurance running event. It highlights the critical steps required to prevent fatal outcomes, including the recognition of suspected heat stroke and the implementation of evidence-based management protocols – emphasising the urgency of rapid cooling in a controlled environment, such as a designated heat deck.
“In the world of sports, athletes push themselves to the limit, especially in challenging conditions like extreme heat,” said World Athletics Health & Science Department Director Stephane Bermon, explaining the treatment process. “But when the body’s temperature increases to dangerous levels and heat is not sufficiently dissipated, it’s crucial to recognise and treat exertional heat stroke promptly.”
Collaboration on this video series complements the extensive work undertaken by the World Athletics Health & Science Department since the World Championships in Doha in 2019 and the latest research conducted at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 inviting endurance athletes to participate in a study focused on heat acclimatisation and hydration/nutrition strategies.
This video material is another pedagogical tool to be integrated in the successful Race Emergency Medicine Course and will likely help healthcare professionals to better manage exertional heat stroke in the context of global warming.
World Athletics
