Editorial

The increasing participation of the population in sports activities demands the need for a multidisciplinary health care team. The inclusion of nurses in this team is important, since this professional is the one responsible for initial care and referral to specialized medical care. In 2016, a unique field of job opportunities in sports will be opened to Brazilian nurses, since our country will host the three major global sports events: the 2014 Football (Soccer) World Cup, the 2016 Olympics and the Paralympics Games. Although professionals from different fields compose the health team, both inside and outside the sports world, the nursing professional is the best prepared for primary emergency care.

To provide an overview, we propose a parallel between the two major world-sporting events. Approximately 3,500 and 1,500 volunteers worked in the London 2012 Olympics Games and Paralympics Games, respectively. Around 3,000 nurses volunteered to work in one of the 350 nursing positions offered during the London Games. Nursing care is part of the International Olympic Committee services. During the London Games nursing staff worked mainly in the area of emergency and primary care, delivering care for athletes, officials, spectators and journalists. The number of calls for nursing care was estimated by the London Olympics and Paralympics Games Organizing Committee at 20,000. It is important to note that the demand will probably be very similar to the sporting events taking place in Brazil.

Despite the importance of the nursing professional in sports, nurses' participation in this area is still incipient. A trained professional who has knowledge about risk factors for injuries, or factors that may compromise the athletes' performance, could provide a great contribution to care. Thus, sports is an open field of excellent opportunities and challenges for nursing professionals.

Rodrigo Luiz Vancini

Adjunct Professor of the Sports and Physical Education Center at the Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo

Cássia Regina Vancini-Campanharo

Nurse at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo Escola Paulista de Enfermagem

Marília dos Santos Andrade

Adjunct Professor of the Human Physiology Department at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo

Claudio Andre Barbosa de Lira

Adjunct Professor of the Human and Exercise Physiology Department at the Universidade Federal de Goiás

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  13 Jan 2014
• Date of issue
  2013