University of Central Lancashire students and staff alike are “really looking forward” to the challenge of providing medical assistance to athletes at the upcoming Island Games in Gibraltar.
The sports therapy and the sports medicine team were chosen to provide the specialist care in the games, which are being held from 6-12 July.
Sports will be held on either side of the famous Gibraltar Rock, one of the world’s most picturesque attractions.
The UCLan team are the first independent medical team to cover the games, bar officials, since its inception in 1985.
The group will be led by London 2012 volunteer Andy Cunningham, the Principal Lecturer of Sports Therapy at the university.
The team prepared for the beginning of the games on Saturday by undertaking a number of role play and training sessions.
This involved preparing for dealing with more complex injuries, such as concussions, as well as a refresher on how to treat younger athletes (the minimum age for competitors at the Games is 13).
Karen May, Principal Lecturer at the School of Health Sciences, will represent the university at the opening ceremony on Saturday, 7pm.
Speaking about today’s training event, she said:
“Today has been about giving them (the medical team) a heads up before the start of what is potentially going to be a week long poly clinic.
“The team from the Cayman Islands have 112 athletes – they will have general medical conditions.
“There is a liaison there for the students between the teams and the GPs and the nurses who are going to be working in the clinic as well.”
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It is bound to be a challenging experience for the students, but one they are relishing.
Third-year sports therapy student Taylor Fairhurst, 22, spoke of both her excitement and the importance of the work UCLan is doing for the event:
“I am really looking forward to seeing a lot of sports that I haven’t witnessed myself before.
“Being in a clinic, you don’t know who is going to walk through the door – it could be anyone.
“You have to be on guard for who is coming in, and just take it from there.”
The Island Games kick off tomorrow morning with the triathlon.
The event starts at 8am, and will involve a 1500m sea swim, followed by a 40km non-drafting bike and 10km run.
RS Sport 