Written by Dr Renita Rasmann, DC, MRCC, LRCC (Sport), ICSC
We were given an excellent position in the athletes’ warm-up area. WAKO provided us with two informative roll-up banners, and I brought the FICS flag, which made us even more visible to the athletes. At previous events I attended, there had been a recurring issue where athletes didn’t fully understand who we were, what we did, or how much our services cost. The roll-up banners effectively addressed these concerns, and we were busy from the moment we started. Athletes were already lined up, waiting for us while we were still setting up the last details of our treatment area. From the moment we began, there was no pause for either of us – a constant queue of athletes waiting to be treated.
We worked 10 hours a day, back-to-back, and on the busiest day, we provided 94 treatments. Over 5.5 days, we reached a total of 433 treatments. Despite the heavy workload, we maintained smiles on our faces, and the athletes were extremely appreciative, returning later with their medals to show their gratitude.
We had a chance to treat athletes from all over the world, and at the event, 65 different nations were represented. The most frequent athletes who came to us were from Italy (78 athletes) and Ireland (52 athletes). Since this was a youth event, I inquired with the local Hungarian doctors about the legal age for athletes to sign their own consent, which was 16 years old. The youngest athletes were eight (8) years old, and I was initially concerned about how smoothly the signing process would go. However, word went around quickly, and the athletes understood that if they were under 16, they needed to bring a parent or coach to sign on their behalf. Fortunately, we encountered no major issues with this process.
My colleague, Muhammed, is a fantastic chiropractor with extensive knowledge, empathy, and skills. We made an excellent team, supporting each other whenever needed. He remained calm and handled challenging situations with professionalism. For this review, he noted that working at a youth event provided him with a valuable new experience in treating paediatric and teen populations, as his practice primarily focuses on adult patients.
The WAKO and the organising team were incredibly friendly, welcoming, and helpful. They were always available and expressed gratitude for our hard work. They were amazed at how many athletes we treated and frequently checked in to ask if we needed anything or were too tired. Even the president of WAKO, Roy Baker, the president of WAKO UK, Peter Edwards, and the President of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations, Raffaele Chiulli, came for treatment and were very pleased with their results.
It was a wonderful experience, and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to experience this level of service at international events.
I feel like I continue to grow as a sports chiropractor because of these experiences.
