Injury toll following the 1997 Maccabiah Games Bridge Collapse : Implications of major disasters for sports medicine teams

A major disaster was encountered at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel. As the Australian team was about to enter the main stadium for the opening ceremony, a pedestrian bridge they were crossing collapsed, killing 4 athletes and injuring many others. The aim of this paper is to establish the rates,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sports medicine (Auckland) 2000-07, Vol.30 (1), p.63-71
Main Authors: KOLT, G. S, WAJSWELNER, H, ADONIS, M, LEVIN, P, SHELL, A, SRAGE, M, STEINWEG, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Ankle Injuries - classification
Athletic Injuries - classification
Attitude to Health
Australia
Biological and medical sciences
Cause of Death
Contusions - classification
Female
Foot Injuries - classification
Hip Injuries
Humans
Israel
Knee Injuries - classification
Lumbar Vertebrae - injuries
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Musculoskeletal System - injuries
Sport (general aspects)
Sports
Sports Medicine
Sprains and Strains - classification
Thigh - injuries
Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:A major disaster was encountered at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel. As the Australian team was about to enter the main stadium for the opening ceremony, a pedestrian bridge they were crossing collapsed, killing 4 athletes and injuring many others. The aim of this paper is to establish the rates, types and anatomical locations of musculoskeletal injuries incurred by members of the Australian Maccabiah Games team, with particular reference to the impact of the bridge collapse. In total, the 410 members of the team (360 athletes and coaches and 50 team officials) reported 166 injuries from their participation in sport and 30 musculoskeletal injuries associated with the collapse of the bridge. The most common sports-related injuries were sprains and strains to the hip/thigh, lumbar spine and ankle/foot regions, while the bridge collapse resulted in, most commonly, sprains and contusions to the hip/thigh, knee, lower leg and ankle/foot regions. In addition, team members incurred many medical and psychological conditions. This paper makes several recommendations for sports medicine staff based on the experience of this significant sport disaster.
ISSN:0112-1642
1179-2035
DOI:10.2165/00007256-200030010-00006