Kamloops News
More wasp stings than injuries at games
By Jennifer Stahn
Members of the medical team have been busy dealing with wasp stings during the 2013 B.C. Senior Games.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
August 23, 2013 - 11:34 AM
KAMLOOPS – The single biggest issue at the 2013 B.C. Senior Games, from a medical stand point, is not what you would expect, Andy Philpot says, it's wasp stings.
The head of the medical volunteers says the number of stings reported have yet to be tallied — there have been that many of them — but crews are offering ice and ensuring no one is having an allergic reaction after being stung. Wasp traps have been set up around the city to help deal with the issue.
Overall there have been few other injuries or issues with heat stroke, Philpot notes, though there have been a few strains and sprains as well as a couple other medical issues.
“Injury wise it's been relatively quiet. For the number of participants — looking at Castlegar a couple years ago and Burnaby last year — we've had a very low number of injuries and treatments,” Philpot says of the more than 3,700 participants. “Everybody's been very good at taking in water... staying well hydrated.”
While sport related injuries have been low there have been several medical occurrences Philpot says are likely a combination of age and exertion. During the golf tournament at Sun Rivers one man did suffer from a health issue and while initial reports said the man did not survive, Philpot says that is not true.
“It got reported as (a death), at the present time it's not. The person is still with us,” Philpot says. “It shows the medical system that's set up did what it's supposed to.”
During a hockey game Wednesday another man dropped to the ice and spectators say he was not moving. Philpot reports the man was checked out and while he was cleared he hasn't played since.
With the lower temperatures and cloud cover expected today and tomorrow Philpot says the weather forecast is ideal and should be quite comfortable for athletes and spectators, which will help avoid any heat related issues.
Also read: For the fun of the game, which features a gallery of pictures showcasing the camaraderie between the athletes, volunteers and fans.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca, call (250)819-3723 or tweet @JennStahn.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013