Head Doctor of the 2022 National Sports Festival’s Medical Centre, Dr. Anthony Enebe, confirmed that over 100 athletes were treated by the medical team in the first two days of the Games.
Right from the night of the opening ceremony on Wednesday, an athlete fainted during the unveiling of the states contingents as a result of the exertion after the trip from their home state.
The medical team responded in a matter of seconds, with the athlete promptly taken care of.
Our correspondent paid a visit to the medical centre, where Dr. Enebe gave a rundown of the athletes situation at the festival in the first two days.
Enebe said the medical centre had treated over 100 athletes since the beginning of the competition.
“In total, we have taken care of about a hundred athletes who have had to come to the medical centre for one reason or the other, but very few serious casualties,” he said on Friday.
“So far so good, the majority of the injuries we’ve had has come from combat sports, and we have also seen some falls from exhaustion,” he said.
Enebe blamed the weather for the large number of athletes they’ve had to treat and also revealed that malaria had been a concern.
“You know the weather is hot, and people are dehydrated in these high pressure activities, we are bound to experience such falls from exhaustion.
“Yesterday (Thursday), we saw a lot of people coming down with malaria. This is probably as a result of lots of training and lack of rest. The weather is a bit humid and has contributed to the drop in immunity,” he said.
Enebe added that his medical team was up to the task in dealing with all medical issues with speed and efficiency.
“By and large, we have been up to the task, because we have over a hundred medical personnel on ground manning various hostels and events. That’s why when we had one of those issues during the opening ceremony, it was taken care of in less than a minute.”
