Jincheon Athletes’ Village Medical Center, more than just a hospital… Intensive treatment with expensive equipment
The most expensive and precious space in the Jincheon National Athletes’ Village, the cradle of national athletes that opened in September 2017, has been virtually revealed to the press for the first time.
The Jincheon Athletes’ Village Medical Center, which is equipped with various treatment devices, opened its doors to the press on the 26th, 30 days before the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympics, on the occasion of a media day event.
The medical center, located next to the most crowded restaurant for athletes, is a two-story structure with a combined area of 661㎡ (approximately 200 pyeong) on the first floor above ground and 331㎡ (100 pyeong) on the first basement floor. 안전놀이터
On the ground floor, there are various treatment devices, medical beds, shock wave therapy machines, hyperbaric oxygen therapy machines, etc., and the underground floor is equipped with radiological diagnostic equipment.
20 professional medical personnel, including 3 specialists, 3 nurses, 13 physical therapists, and 1 radiologist, are dedicated to treating national team athletes for 12 hours from 9 AM to 9 PM.
The price of most treatment devices easily exceeds 100 million won, including the zero-gravity treadmill (100 million won per unit) used for rehabilitation treatment by athletes with broken bones and the new hyperbaric oxygen therapy device (50 million won) that helps improve recovery.
Shock wave therapy, which helps remove ligament calcification and inflammation, is the most popular treatment among athletes.
If you want to receive shock wave therapy at a hospital outside the athlete's village, it costs a lot of money and a long period of time, but in the athlete's village, you can receive it for free regardless of the number of times.
Athletes also enjoy using aquatic therapy facilities that are effective for joint movement.
There are only a handful of such facilities in the country.
Dr. Bae Joong-hyun, a specialist in rehabilitation medicine, introduced the cooling jackets that athletes will use at the upcoming Paris Olympics to reporters.
With the ice jacket using a special refrigerant, athletes can enjoy the dual effect of quickly relieving fatigue and reducing fever.
This is a product that our athletes can use especially in the Paris Olympic Athletes’ Village where there is no air conditioning.
Specialist Bae Joong-hyun explained, “In simple terms, (the cooling jacket) freezes at 18 degrees,” and “If you wear the cooling jacket or place it directly on the affected area and maintain 18 degrees for 2-3 hours, you can quickly relieve fatigue.”
If you put the cooling jacket in an icebox or refrigerator for a certain period of time, it will recover its coolness and you can use it for a long time.
Since it is set to be used at a stable temperature of 18 degrees, there is no need to worry about frostbite.
The Korea Sports Council is concerned about the heat wave in Paris and is also focusing on developing quick and effective recovery strategies and training the team so that the athletes can maintain their best performance.
In order to prevent energy depletion during the game and avoid injuries and fatigue, they taught the national team athletes how to consume carbohydrates appropriately before and after the game, and recommended nitrate intake to improve aerobic exercise ability and power.
Based on the recommendations of experts, the Korea Sports Council plans to provide customized nutritional supplements such as energy gels, amino acids, and beetroot juice to the athletes during the Olympics to improve their performance.