Dr. Babak Shadgan, Assistant Professor with the UBC Department of Orthopaedics, is heading to France to participate in his sixth consecutive Olympic Games, where he will be serving as the Medical Director of Wrestling Competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games! The wrestling events will be held from August 5 to 11, 2024, at the Paris Champ-de-Mars Arena. As President of the United World Wrestling Medical Commission, his primary focus during these Games will be on injury prevention strategies tailored specifically for wrestling competitions.
One of the innovative approaches that Dr. Shadgan is implementing involves educating and training referees to proactively prevent injuries. By equipping referees with knowledge about injury mechanisms in wrestling and the ability to identify risky maneuvers, referees can intervene before serious musculoskeletal injuries occur. For instance, protocols can be introduced to empower referees to pause matches if they perceive a potential risk of injury, such as excessive joint twisting or dangerous techniques that could lead to severe musculoskeletal damage. Dr. Shadgan developed this concept and began educating international and Olympic referees recently after obtaining approval from the International Wrestling Federation of Olympic Styles. Dr. Shadgan describes it as a “significant professional achievement in sports injury prevention” and noted that the rate and severity of wrestling injuries have gradually reduced.
To prepare for the Paris Olympic Games, Dr. Shadgan attended a 3-day comprehensive training course in Athens, Greece organized by the International Wrestling Federation on June 19. The course finalized the training of 50 Olympic referees officiating the wrestling matches at the Paris Olympic Games. Dr. Shadgan led a training session with Olympic officials, referees, and the medical team on injury prevention.
BJSM Publication: Wrestling Injuries during the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games
Additionally, we are thrilled to announce the recent publication of Dr. Babak Shadgan’s latest paper by the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM), the highest-impact sports medicine journal (impact factor of 18.4). His work represents a significant contribution to the field of Olympic wrestling medicine and emphasizes his ongoing efforts to advance sports injury prevention strategies. You can read the full paper here: link to the paper.
We look forward to the opportunities that await Dr. Babak Shadgan in Paris as we strive to uphold the spirit of the Olympic Games while ensuring the safety, mobility, and wellbeing of all athletes and participants.
Congratulations, Dr. Babak Shadgan!
