Original article

Background The development of strategies to prevent illnesses before and during Olympic Games provides a basis for improved health and Olympic results. Objective (1) To document the effi cacy of a prevention programme on illness in a national Olympic team before and during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games (OWG), (2) to compare the illness incidence in the Norwegian team with Norwegian incidence data during the Turin 2006 OWG and (3) to compare the illness inci-dence in the Norwegian team with illness rates of other nations in the Vancouver OWG. Methods Information on prevention measures of ill-nesses in the Norwegian Olympic team was based on interviews with the Chief Medical Offi cer (CMO) and the Chief Nutrition and Sport Psychology Offi cers, and on a review of CMO reports before and after the 2010 OWG. The prevalence data on illness were obtained from the daily reports on injuries and illness to the International Olympic Committee. Results The illness rate was 5.1 % (fi ve of 99 athletes) compared with 17.3 % (13 out of 75 athletes) in Turin (p=0.008). A total of four athletes missed one competi-tion during the Vancouver Games owing to illness, com-pared with eight in Turin. The average illness rate for all nations in the Vancouver OWG was 7.2%. Conclusions Although no defi nite cause-and-effect link between the implementation of preventive mea-sures and the prevalence of illness in the 2010 OWG could be established, the reduced illness rate compared with the 2006 OWG, and the low prevalence of illnesses compared with other nations in the Vancouver OWG suggest that the preparations were effective