LA28: Inside the Medical Playbook

Cedars-Sinai, the Official Medical Provider for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is playing a key role in planning for what will be one of the largest sporting events in the world.

Behind the scenes, that preparation includes building a vast, coordinated medical system designed to support not only the elite athletes taking part in the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, but the coaches, staff, volunteers and spectators.

The Cedars-Sinai Newsroom recently spoke with Casey Batten, MD, chief medical officer for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and co-director of Nonoperative Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, to discuss what it takes to plan medical care at the scale of the Olympic and Paralympic Games-and what it means for athletes, fans and the Los Angeles community.

What is the role of the chief medical officer for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

Ultimately, the role of the chief medical officer is to oversee all of the medical infrastructure delivered to all stakeholders-including athletes, coaches, their entourages and spectators.

Medical care for the Olympic and Paralympic Games will take place across multiple settings. One of the central hubs is the polyclinic in the Olympic and Paralympic Village, which primarily serves athletes and those living there, including coaches and support staff.

Beyond that, care extends to training locations and competition venues spread across the region, each requiring its own coordinated medical presence. Ensuring that all of these environments are properly staffed, connected and prepared is a key part of delivering care at this scale.

What types of injuries do you expect to be treating?

As with any major sporting event, we expect to see common overuse injuries, along with strains and sprains-especially as athletes ramp up training closer to the Games.

But one of the biggest concerns isn't injury-it's illness. When you think about it, most of these athletes have been training their entire lives for this moment. For many, this is their one shot at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Even something as simple as a common cold can completely derail years of preparation and impact performance on the world stage.

That's why, from a medical planning perspective, so much focus is placed on preventing and managing illness. Respiratory infections, gastrointestinal bugs and other viruses are among the biggest risks during the LA28 Games.

What is the main challenge gearing up for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games?

The scale is unlike anything else.

When I first stepped into this role, one of the most eye-opening aspects was just how much detailed planning is required-and how many different teams and functional areas are involved in every decision. Delivering medical care at the LA28 Games isn't about making decisions in isolation. Every choice requires coordination.

Even something that seems straightforward-like deciding where to place an X-ray machine-can impact multiple departments, from venue operations to logistics to athlete flow. Now multiply those types of decisions across roughly 50 venues, and it quickly becomes a massive, interconnected puzzle.

Having worked in sports medicine for two decades and having supported large-scale sporting events, I can say that nothing compares to the Games. A common comparison is that it's like putting on seven Super Bowls a day for several weeks-and that really captures the magnitude of what we're preparing for.

What are you most excited about?

It's hard to overstate how special the LA28 Games will be.

For most athletes, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the culmination of years, often decades, of training and sacrifice. Being able to witness that level of intensity, focus and emotion in person is incredibly powerful. There's an energy at the Olympic and Paralympic Games that's hard to describe unless you've experienced it, it's something you feel across every competition, every race and every moment.

I'd especially encourage people to watch the Paralympic Games-the level of competition, the determination and the passion are extraordinary.

Even if you're not familiar with a particular sport, I think people will find themselves drawn in. Whether it's Olympic or Paralympic competition, there's something universally compelling about watching individuals push the limits of what's possible.

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