Researchers determined the sports with the highest risk factors based on data collected since the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Spoiler: It’s not wrestling or artistic gymnastics.
If the abundance of olympic sports convinces him to start in a new discipline in the fall – perhaps something you’ve never thought about before – you may want to consider your safety first.
New research has compared the number of athletes from each discipline with the number of injuries recorded, thus determining the sports with higher risk factors.
The results are somewhat surprising: BMX was revealed as the most dangerous olympic sportcon an injury rate 34.38%, while table tennis and handball were more likely to be injured than horse riding and trampoline.
BMX – short for bike motocross – is a cycling sport practiced on small bicycles in competitive or freestyle racingwhether on the street or on off-road tracks.
The maximum injury rate was recorded in the Rio 2016 Olympic Gameswith 37.5% of athletes who suffered trauma. Taekwondo – a Korean martial art and combat sport which involves punching and kicking – is close behind, with almost 30% of athletes injured.
Soccer is the most dangerous team sport, with more than 27% of its 1,508 competitors injured. handball is the second most dangerous team sportalmost 10% away, with an average of 17.98% of injured athletes.
Boxing was second sport with the highest number of injuries at the Tokyo Olympics, indicating an increasing risk. You can check out the full list below.
What are the Olympic sports with the highest injury rate?
- BMX cycling, 34.38
- Taekwondo, 29,92
- Football, 27.19
- Mountain biking, 22.44
- Boxing, 18.12
- Handball, 17.98
- Hockey, 16,55
- Weightlifting, 15.86
- Water polo, 14.03
- Athletics, 13.04
- Judo, 12,44
- Triathlon, 11.59
- Lucha, 11,33
- Baloncesto, 10.69
- Artistic gymnastics, 10.54
- Badminton, 9.65
- Tennis, 9.44
- Beach volleyball, 9.38
- Volleyball, 7.42
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) launched for the first time a multi-sport injury surveillance system in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. These data were collected from the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) and were processed by investigators de Casinority.
It takes into account all the Summer Games between Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020. The London 2012 Olympic Games registered the highest overall injury ratewith 12.8% of athletes reporting having suffered injuries.
Which Olympic sports are the safest?
It may be surprising, but most sports on the opposite side of the table They are associated with what we generally consider risk factors or tools: weapons, water, horses and arrows.
Canoeing holds the record safest of all sports Olympics, with an average injury rate of only 2.23, which drops to 1.2% in the canoe slalom. Below is the complete list.
- Canoeing/kayak (all types) 2.23
- Number, 2,24
- Remo, 2,25%.
- Archery, 3.65
- Swimming, 3.78
- Cycling – Track, 4.24
- Gymnastics – Trampoline 4.69%
- Equestrian, 4.73
- Table tennis, 4.83
- Modern pentathlon, 6.05
All types of kayaking and canoeing are considered safe Olympic sports, with an average injury rate of 2.23%. Of 987 competitors considered, only 22 injuries were recorded. The shot is also relatively safecon a similar injury rate of 2.24% and 26 injuries in three Olympic Games. Rowing is close behind, with an average injury rate of 2.25% among 1,640 olympic athletesand only 3% of athletes injured in 2020.
