Torino 2006. Xx Olympic and ix Paralympic Winter Games: the ent experience

摘要

a total of 27 competition days, more than 3000 athletes, over 10,000 components of the Olympic family, 3,500 workers, 2,500 volunteers, an overall business of more than 2 billion Euros. These, in a nutshell, are just a few of the data concerning the XX Olympic and the IX Paralympic Winter Games, Torino, Italy, 2006. Such a huge event, obviously required a meticulously or- ganized medical service to cope with the healthcare of the athletes, offcial workers and the Olympic family, distributed over a geographic area of approximately 80 km in diameter. an ENT service was organized within the medical service, which was divided between 3 Polyclinics, in which 12 ENT Specialists were on duty. The present report gives an account of the fnal data concerning the service involved, together with a description of the approach used in the actual organization, with a view to pro- viding useful information for colleagues who will be called upon, for a similar service, in future Olympic Winter Games. The ENT healthcare offered was confrmed to be proportional to the requirements, both from a qualitative and quantitative point of view. all the ENT specialists involved, reported having gained an immense store of human experience from having lived the Olympic atmosphere as a volunteer exerting one’s own profession. The facilities available in the Polyclinics, which were at a considerable distance from the Hospital, were found to be more than adequate with respect to the pathological conditions and service requested, particularly in 17% of the cases which would otherwise have been sent to a Hospital Outpatient unit at least 80 km away.