OLYMPIC REVIEW

three nations, particularly as the British contingent also had some Australians who had been working in the UK. This did also have the added advantage of an apprecia- tion of the importance of getting hold of the cricket scores.

The physiotherapists were able to have their own patient lists in theory, although on several occasions not wanting to have an athlete waiting for treatment meant that he/she was passed on to another physiotherapist who had time on their hands. Having a number of physiothera- pists on each shift meant that the pres- sure of waiting times and a ‘full case load’ never arose. However, conversations with other physiotherapists did reveal a sharp contrast in workload between Polyclinic staff and staff at some venues. Everybody worked a vague shift pattern of 0800- 1500 and 1500-2000 that was flexible enough to allow the workers to see other events or explore part of Athens. ATHOC did realise that they were volunteers who had paid a lot of their own money to help in Athens!

their physiotherapy schools teach from many English textbooks and journals. Consequently, there was no language bar- rier in the polyclinic or venues and all the treatments cards, injury codes and instruc- tions were either in Greek or English.

As predicted, the athletes we saw came from most of Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, parts of South America and the Caribbean countries. The most satisfying thing about working in this environment is that the athletes are so grateful for any help you give them.

You also get the distinct impression that sports medicine in most of these countries hardly exists at all. This applies not only to their facilities at home, but also to the expertise of the small number of doctors and physiotherapists who do manage to travel with their teams. Some see their trip as a learning experience and I have witnessed physiotherapists from these countries ‘sit in’ on the treatment we have given and treat it as a teaching session.

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One interesting departure from traditional practice at the Polyclinic was the lack of provision for massage. ATHOC had decided that the Polyclinic physiotherapy depart- ment was to be for trauma and related injuries only. Those athletes wanting pro- phylactic massage went to two other sites in the village and to the venues which were staffed by approximately 100 masseurs who had also applied online. The bulk of these came from the USA but there were about 10-12 British male and female masseurs. At first this seemed an unusual arrangement but it did have the advan- tage that athletes with acute trauma did not end up waiting for treatment until a physiotherapist had finished a massage and vice versa.

To be honest, the physiotherapists’ roster wasn’t a totally Greek/Brit affair. When we got there we were pleased to see that the Aussies had also got themselves organised (via Sport Australia) with about ten people having applied. This led to an excellent working environment for all

The success of British physiotherapists working at the Athens Olympics was part- ly due to the tenacity and persistence of those physiotherapists who put up with prevarication, procrastination and the unknown with some good humour, quiet resignation and occasionally my uncon- vincing reassurances over the phone that it would be ‘alright on the night’.

I think that Athens put on a marvellous Olympic Games belying the harbingers of doom and gloom. Perhaps a tiny part of its legacy is a group of physiotherapists who have been lucky enough to work professionally at the Olympics and will be able to have these Games as the spring- board to their future careers of physio- therapy in sport.

THE AUTHOR

Dr Michael Callaghan MCSP, PhD is a char- tered physiotherapist working at the Centre of Rehabilitation Science in Manchester. He has extensive clinical and research experi- ence in the assessment of lower limb func- tion both in the health science and sports arena. Michael was the volunteer co-ordina- tor physiotherapist for the Greek Organising Committee at the Olympic Village Medical Centre. The Athens Olympics was his fourth Games working as a physiotherapist.

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