Athlete Well-Being

Dr. Jonathan Finnoff, Chief Medical Officer

As COVID-19 restrictions lifted, we were able to reopen the Medical Volunteer Program and bring in expert medical providers from across the country to support Team USA athletes at our training centers/sites and expand the medical staff in our clinics.

The sports medicine team also completed Elite Athlete Health Profiles (EAHPs) with over 100 athletes, serving as a comprehensive sport physical and identifying an athlete’s current health status to ensure safe participation in sport. The profiles can serve as an entry point for specialized medical care and are a tool for longitudinal health monitoring. In addition, we integrated a new electronic medical record system, enabling us to communicate immediately and directly with health care providers wherever athletes train and compete, and also identify trends ahead of time to modify risk factors.

We continued research on the connection between concussions and mental health, with plans to release findings in 2023. In addition to head injuries and mental health, we progressed ongoing research focused on both Paralympic athletes and women’s health.

Getting Team USA to and from the Beijing Games safely was a feat of careful planning and execution. High COVID-19 rates, testing requirements and strict host country and organizing committee rules required precise planning and communication, as well as expanded resources and stakeholder perseverance.

Once in Beijing, Team USA lived in the Olympic and Paralympic Athletes’ Village and trained in an Olympic and Paralympic “bubble.” At the close of the Beijing Games, we could proudly say we got nearly 600 individuals to and from the Games safely – an accomplishment in and of itself.

When it comes to athlete excellence, NGBs are often the first and primary point of contact for athletes. Over the past year, we continued to engage and collaborate with NGBs to better coordinate athlete care.

In 2022, we held our first on-site NGB Medical Conference, which assembled health care providers from across the Olympic and Paralympic movements for educational and hands-on trainings focused on topics including the management of medical and mental health emergencies.

We also established NGB minimum medical standards recommendations, as some NGBs were previously operating without a health care provider, while others had intricate medical infrastructures. To bolster our support, we created an NGB Medical Standards Working Group with representation from NGB medical leads, the athlete community and the USOPC, as well as input from international colleagues such as Team Great Britain and the IOC.  

With women representing half of Team USA’s athlete population, and Team USA women continuing to set the standard for medal success, including in the most recent Games, where they collectively won over 58% of the medals, our sports medicine team focused in on the unique challenges and opportunities women athletes may face. We formed a dedicated Women’s Health Taskforce comprised of world-class clinicians, athletes and service providers across various specialties, which focused outreach and education on topics such as menstrual cycles, training, breast health, sexual abuse and trauma and reproductive health.

The taskforce also supported the Female Athlete Voice project in collaboration with Stanford University, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard University and the University of Washington. Through this work, we conducted a focused athlete survey, which captures the voices and perspectives of 40 Team USA female Olympic and Paralympic athletes, yielding 14 priority topics important to Team USA female athletes. Among the topics were the impact of menstrual cycles on training and performance, the impact of female physiology on recovery processes, mental skills and the effects of specific types of birth control options.

We’re excited to share these results following their submission for peer review and publication in a scientific journal.  

The life of an elite athlete is a journey, and we’re with them every step of the way. From entry to training and competing, to their transition out of sport, we strive to create a championship life for athletes.

As part of that, our athlete development and engagement team provides athletes with support beyond sport, connecting them to a trusted community of mentors and resources, from education scholarships and career coaching to financial services and transition services – all to support athletes in achieving excellence in all areas of life.

We awarded more than $1.4 million in tuition grants in 2022, which athletes can use for programs that advance their career including degrees, certificates and professional development and training courses.

Team USA Athlete

Understanding where we are meeting athletes' needs and where we can improve is key to fulfilling our mission and building a culture where athletes feel safe, supported, heard and valued.

One way we’re ensuring athlete voices are central to our conversations is by guaranteeing them a seat at the table on USOPC boards and committees, working groups and more. We also work closely with the Team USA Athletes' Commission (Team USA AC), which helps broaden communication between USOPC and active athletes, in addition to helping inform and advise the USOPC board of directors. We collaborate with the Team USA AC and an independent research firm to issue annual athlete surveys and gather important feedback. Through our 2022 Athlete Listening Survey, we heard from 370 current and former Team USA athletes. We realize this is only a portion of our Team USA population, and as we look ahead, we are focusing on how we can engage and hear from as many Team USA athletes as possible.

From the survey responses we received, we gleaned several key takeaways for the USOPC: