INJURY RISK REDUCTION PRACTICES IN SPORTS COMPETITION

Injury, which comes with participating in sports, has always dealt a big blow to the careers
of many athletes. This has consistently removed the shine and reduced participation in
sports. Many of the injury reported in sports are avoidable as most participants seldom
think about it until it happens. Most competitions are event organizers do not consider risk
management a top priority when planning sports meets. Unfortunately, risks are known to
be an integral part of sports practice. Quality risk management processes which help
sports even organizers are required to ensure smooth sailing injury-free competitions.
This paper thus analyses some steps in identifying, evaluating and managing the
unavoidable risks that go with participating in sports, recommending some tips that can
help to minimize the incidence of injury like making use of high standard equipment and
facilities and swift hazards identification among others. This will go a long way in
significantly reducing the prevalence of injuries in our sports meets while avoiding
litigation and encouraging larger participation.