World Athletics and Siemens Healthineers have launched a strategic collaboration aimed at strengthening on-site medical care at major athletics events through the use of point-of-care diagnostic technology. The initiative seeks to enhance the safety of athletes and spectators, while improving medical teams’ ability to make immediate clinical decisions in highly demanding competitive and logistical environments.
The agreement responds to the specific needs of endurance disciplines such as marathons, race walking, trail and mountain running, where prolonged exertion, environmental exposure and high participant density increase the risk of complex medical incidents. In these contexts, hospital transfers can delay key diagnoses and influence clinical outcomes, leading World Athletics to prioritise autonomous medical care models fully integrated into the competition venue, an approach increasingly associated with the concept of endurance medicine.
Integrated medicine in competition: on-site diagnosis and clinical decision-making
The deployment of the epoc Blood Analysis System and the Acuson Sequoia ultrasound platform enables blood testing and imaging assessments to be carried out directly at competition venues, allowing immediate analysis of critical parameters and injury evaluation without the need for hospital referral. This capability is essential to reduce waiting times, accelerate decisions on treatment or continued participation and provide more personalised and discreet care for athletes.
Within this framework, Siemens Healthineers supported the Health and Science Department of World Athletics at several international championships. At the indoor world championships held in Nanjing, on-site ultrasound was used to manage musculoskeletal injuries common in high-intensity disciplines such as sprints, hurdles and jumps. At the world championships in Tokyo, the collaboration expanded into applied research, with a project focused on heat adaptation and hydration strategies, including the analysis of electrolytes, lactate, pH and creatinine under real competition conditions, in cooperation with Waseda University.
The model promoted by World Athletics is part of a broader international trend towards the standardisation of medical protocols integrated into competition. In rugby, World Rugby developed the Head Injury Assessment -HIA- protocol, a structured and mandatory system for the evaluation of concussions during matches, granting clinical authority to medical staff and establishing uniform criteria for player removal and follow-up.
In football, FIFA and the International Football Association Board introduced specific concussion substitutions in international competitions, implementing a regulatory change designed to remove competitive pressure from medical decision-making. This mechanism allows player health to be prioritised without affecting the sporting balance of the match.
Medical protocols in highly complex competitive environments
Cycling has followed a similar path through the concussion protocols promoted by the Unión Ciclista Internacional, designed to facilitate clinical assessments after crashes in a race-in-motion context, where speed, peloton dynamics and event continuity complicate medical intervention. These protocols reinforce the role of healthcare professionals and establish common procedures for managing neurological risk.
A consolidated reference can also be found in motorsport. In competitions such as Formula 1, under the supervision of the Federación Internacional del Automóvil, medical care forms part of the event’s core operational structure, with the permanent presence of the Medical Car and the medical delegate. This model enables immediate response following on-track incidents and advanced clinical assessment directly at the circuit, integrating safety, technology and real-time decision-making.
