ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Disaster and Emergency Medicine
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1674017
Patient Characteristics of Medical Encounters at the Olympic Stadium During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games
Provisionally accepted
Yumiko Sekizaki1
Akina Hiden2
Ryo Yamamoto2*Yusho Nishida2Akihiko Kondo3Hiroki Takami4Yoichi Toyomoto5Hiroyuki Ishida6
Shin Watanabe7Junichi Sasaki2- 1Keio Gijuku Daigaku Byoin, Shinjuku, Japan
- 2Department of Emergency and Critlcal Care Medicine, Keio Gijuku Daigaku Byoin, Shinjuku, Japan
- 3Emergency Dpartment, Juntendo Daigaku Igakubu Fuzoku Shizuoka Byoin, Izunokuni, Japan
- 4Emergency and Intensive Care Unit, Juntendo Daigaku Igakubu Fuzoku Nerima Byoin, Nerima, Japan
- 5Health Screening, Rehabilitation and Fitness Unit, Medical Support Division, Juntendo Daigaku Igakubu Fuzoku Juntendo Iin, Bunkyo, Japan
- 6Sports Medical Research Center, Keio Gijuku Daigaku - Hiyoshi Campus, Yokohama, Japan
- 7Department of Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Juntendo Daigaku, Bunkyo, Japan
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Objective: Mass gatherings challenge local healthcare systems due to increased spectator demands. During the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a medical team stationed at the Olympic Stadium implemented an on-site medical system for over 3,000 nonathlete attendees. This study analyzed medical encounters among nonathlete participants and evaluated the system's effectiveness. Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis was conducted, reviewing medical records from the on-site medical suite at the Tokyo 2020's main stadium and from hospitals to which patients were transferred. Data included patient demographics, symptoms, vital signs, diagnoses, treatments, and response times both on-site and at hospitals. Results: Of the 44 patients included, heat-related illness and trauma were the most frequent conditions. Seven (15.9%) patients required hospital transport. Median times recorded were 22 min to the on-site suite, 51 min under the on-site care, and 66 min of prehospital time. Conclusions: The availability of specialized physicians and nurses facilitated efficient triage and early treatment within the on-site setting. This study underscores the importance of medical preparedness for future large-scale gatherings.
Keywords: Olympics, Post Olympic reviews, Mass gathering, First Aid, Tokyo, Hospitals, Delivery of Health Care
Received: 08 Aug 2025; Accepted: 13 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sekizaki, Hiden, Yamamoto, Nishida, Kondo, Takami, Toyomoto, Ishida, Watanabe and Sasaki. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ryo Yamamoto, ryo.yamamoto@gmail.com
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