Simone Biles' decision to forgo participation in the gymnastics competition during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics because she was experiencing the "twisties" was a wake-up call to many spectators and fans watching the sport. Gymnastics is extremely dangerous, and if Biles had experienced anything off with the coordination of her body and brain, it could have resulted in a catastrophic fall.
As Paris 2024 approaches, Northwell Health partnered with Stacker to explore the sports with the highest rates of injuries during the Tokyo and Beijing Olympics, using data from two British Journal of Sports Medicine reports. The data only looks at injuries during the Olympics, not sporting events outside of the Games.
For the more dangerous sports, like BMX racing and alpine skiing, medical staff are positioned on the course and have a few seconds to respond to the injured athlete lest things turn tragic. As viewers tune in to watch the amazing physical feats of athletes in Paris, these numbers are a sobering reminder that the human body can endure much but also has limits.
Team USA's doctor for the Games described the injury to The New York Times as "the worst injury of the Tokyo Summer Games." Until 2016, male boxers were required to wear headgear. However, in 2013, the International Boxing Association decided to remove the headgear for male boxers in international tournaments because it found that the protection wasn't preventing concussions and other brain injuries.
"It's like jumping out of a building," Canadian snowboarder Sébastien Toutant described the course to the Olympic News Service at the time.