Skiing docs to keep slopes safe

After years of extensive training and preparation, Beijing 2022’s elite team of ski doctors are ready to swoosh to the rescue on the slopes of the Games’ Yanqing competition zone.

“The entire team is ready for all possible scenarios here at the National Alpine Skiing Center of the Beijing Winter Olympics. We have been through comprehensive training,” said Guo Qi, deputy medical officer of the Alpine Skiing Medical Team who is also a traumatologist at Beijing Jisuitan Hospital, during an online media conference on Saturday.

Alpine skiing — which comprises the disciplines of slalom, giant slalom, super-G, and downhill — is among the riskiest of winter sports, with competitors reaching speeds of up to 152 km/h as they hurtle down courses full of sharp turns and soaring jumps.

Guo explained that all the ski doctors need to have both top-class medical knowledge and skiing skills in order to respond as quickly as possible to any emergencies on the slopes. And that takes years of training.

“We need to keep a close eye on the moves of the skiers and know how they can be injured during competition. Even though they wear protective equipment, they can still injure their head and face if accidents occur,” Guo said.

“The Beijing 2022 organizing committee has given huge support to the establishment of the Alpine skiing medical team. Since 2018, we have been selecting doctors who can ski from across Beijing. Then we organized trials and asked the standout candidates if they would like to join the team.

“Those who qualified received professional skiing coaching and specific medical training. Our doctors are from different backgrounds, and we need to know how to deal with all medical emergencies on the slopes.”

In addition, doctors received language training to help them communicate better with international athletes.

The medical team comprises 36 Chinese doctors and 11 from abroad. Almost all the doctors have skied for over six years. During the Olympic races, the team will be on call 24 hours a day.

Any injured athletes will receive initial treatment on the slopes before being quickly transferred to a nearby medical station or hospital, with helicopters on standby for transportation, if required.

“Apart from offering help to injured athletes, we also need to guarantee the smoothness of the competitions. So, we need to deal with emergencies as quickly as possible to allow the competitions to continue and limit interruptions,” said Guo.

In such a high-risk sport, severe injuries and even fatalities are possible, so time is very often of the essence when treating skiers.

The ski doctors aim to provide medical treatment within four minutes. That’s no easy task, especially when doctors sometimes have to carry equipment weighing up to 15 kilograms.

Working in temperatures as low as minus-20 Celsius on the slopes of Yanqing adds another element of difficulty.

“As we have to take off our gloves when examining the injured person, our hands become numb in a minute. This is also a big challenge for ski doctors,” said Bai Peng, who is among five ski doctors from Peking University Third Hospital, which has sent a 200-strong medical service team to Beijing 2022.

All five are members of the hospital’s skiing society, which was founded in 2016.

PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Members of the emergency medical team at Beijing 2022’s Yanqing competition zone are all skilled skiers.