The first scans have been performed in the Olympic imaging polyclinic ahead of Friday's opening ceremony, and the 68-strong squad of radiologists and radiographers are primed and ready for action, according to musculoskeletal (MSK) expert Dr. Jérôme Renoux.
"The service is now fully prepared to welcome athletes, and the first athletes have started undergoing MRIs, ultrasounds, and x-rays onsite," he told AuntMinnieEurope.com on 22 July. "The level of activity is currently very calm, but we await the opening with a mix of stress about the work to be done and excitement to be part of this unique moment."
Bring it on! Guillaume Abar, a radiographer at the Institute of Sports Imaging, French National Institute of Sports (INSEP) in Paris, prepares the waiting area for the arrival of elite athletes. All photos courtesy of Dr. Jérôme Renoux.
Every precaution has been taken to ensure that patients are cared for under the best conditions, and numerous preventive measures are in place to prevent athletes from suffering from the likely high temperatures, Renoux added. The organizers have chosen the most suitable times for each event, and the 3,000 volunteer health professionals and 8,000 first-aid staff working at the games are fully trained for the speedy diagnosis and treatment of heatstroke, he noted.
Friday's opening ceremony is due to begin at 19:30 CET. In a first for the games, the ceremony will not be staged in a stadium, instead taking place across a 6 km route along the River Seine. It will begin at Austerlitz Bridge and end among the gardens, fountains, and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero, according to a BBC News report posted on 20 July.
The Olympic Village will soon become home to the 10,400 or so competitors from 206 nations.
Almost 100 boats will carry the athletes plus dignitaries and sail past many of the city's notable landmarks, including Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf. "I'd like to show France in all its diversity," said Thomas Jolly, the French actor and ceremony's artistic director.
The aim is to illustrate the nation's "richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration," he added.
Keeping with tradition, Greece will be the first nation introduced during the ceremony, the BBC stated. The Greek-Nigerian basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of their flagbearers for the games. Greece will then be followed by the Refugee Olympic Team, while hosts France will be the last to be introduced. Athletes from Russia and Belarus will compete only as individuals because of their countries' role in the war in Ukraine.
The Paris weather forecast for Friday evening looks fair: overcast skies, temperatures of around 24°C (75F), and a 40% chance of a shower, according to the U.K. Met Office.
Long work days ahead
Renoux anticipates that around 1,800 scans will be performed at the Olympics (26 July to 11 August) and the Paralympics (28 August to 8 September). He thinks 900 MRI exams, 600 ultrasound scans, 300 x-rays, and 60 CTs will be carried out during the games.
In running the service, Renoux will be assisted by MSK radiologists Dr. Michel Crema and Dr. Loris Moya. The three of them will each work in the polyclinic for around 20 days during the games. A typical day will last at least eight hours, but the many emergencies mean they will probably work for up to 12 hours on some days.
One of the two MRI scanners located in trucks in the Olympic Village. Around 900 MRI exams will be carried out during the Olympics and Paralympics.
A research center is being co-directed by Crema, Prof. Bruce Forster (head of MRI for the Vancouver Coastal Region and director of medical imaging at Vancouver General and UBC Hospitals, Canada), and Prof. Ali Guermazi (chief of radiology at the VA Boston Healthcare System, director of the Quantitative Imaging Center, and assistant dean of diversity and inclusion at Boston University School of Medicine).
