At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games about one para-archer in fourteen fell ill

2 studies · 139 archers measured

Each circle is a study: its position gives the year, its row whether it is for, against or context, its size how many participants it measured. Light circles are studies on other populations or without archers.

The figure comes from a single event. The illness surveillance study at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games followed 4,403 athletes from 23 sports for fifteen days, the three before competition and the twelve of competition: among the 139 para-archers there were ten illnesses in ten athletes, 4.8 per thousand athlete days, with a confidence interval of 2.6 to 8.7, and 7.2 per cent of the archers affected, about one in fourteen. The rate across all sports is 4.2 and in para-shooting with firearms 6.1, with intervals that overlap almost entirely, so archery appears neither more nor less exposed than the other sports. These were, however, Games held during the pandemic: the overall rate is the lowest yet recorded at the Paralympic Games, and the authors link it to the COVID-19 countermeasures, which will not recur. A 2024 review repeats the same figure without adding any data. A single study, at a single event: reported.

Also phrased as: "illness at the paralympic games"; "para-archers and illness at competition"; "team health on tour"; "falling ill during the games"; "para-archery health surveillance"

In practice

Anyone organising a team for a major event expects someone to fall ill during competition days, between travel, the athletes' village and changes of climate, and treats it as part of the medical staff's work.

Evidence

2022
For Archers Published later

139 para-archers, 60 women and 79 men, followed through the fifteen days of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games together with the athletes of the other 22 sports: 10 illnesses in 10 athletes over 2,085 athlete days, that is 4.8 per thousand athlete days (95 per cent confidence interval 2.6 to 8.7) and 7.2 per cent of the archers affected.

Incidence and burden of illness at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games held during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study of 66 045 athlete days · Wayne Derman, Phoebe Runciman, Maaike Eken, Pieter-Henk Boer, Cheri Blauwet, Manos Bogdos, et al.
2022
Context Archers Published later

The same study gives 4.2 illnesses per thousand athlete days across all sports (3.8 to 4.8) and 6.1 in para-shooting with firearms (3.4 to 10.7): the intervals for archery and shooting overlap almost entirely. The overall rate is the lowest yet recorded at the Paralympic Games, and the authors link it to the COVID-19 countermeasures; they also write that counting full teams over fifteen days may have underestimated incidence by up to 18 per cent.

Incidence and burden of illness at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games held during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study of 66 045 athlete days · Wayne Derman, Phoebe Runciman, Maaike Eken, Pieter-Henk Boer, Cheri Blauwet, Manos Bogdos, et al.
2024
Context Review Published later

Scoping review with bibliometric analysis of adaptive shooting disciplines, reporting the surveillance study from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games: 139 para-archers (60 women, 79 men) followed for 15 days, 10 illnesses, 4.8 illnesses per 1,000 athlete days (95 per cent confidence interval 2.6 to 8.7), 10 of 139 athletes affected (7.2 per cent).

Adaptive Shooting Disciplines: A Scoping Review of the Literature with Bibliometric Analysis · Luca Puce, Carlo Biz, Halil Ibrahim Ceylan, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi, Matteo Formica, Khaled Trabelsi, et al.
2024
Context Review Published later

In the same review, the comparison with para-shooting with firearms: 6.1 illnesses per 1,000 athlete days (3.4 to 10.7), 14 illnesses, 12 of 154 athletes (7.8 per cent), against 4.8 (2.6 to 8.7) and 7.2 per cent in the para-archers. The intervals overlap almost entirely; in one of the review's tables the two rates are swapped.

Adaptive Shooting Disciplines: A Scoping Review of the Literature with Bibliometric Analysis · Luca Puce, Carlo Biz, Halil Ibrahim Ceylan, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi, Matteo Formica, Khaled Trabelsi, et al.

Status history

2022 Reported The illness surveillance study at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games counts the illnesses of 4,403 athletes over fifteen days: among the 139 para-archers, ten illnesses in ten athletes, 4.8 per thousand athlete days and 7.2 per cent affected, a rate close to that of all sports together, 4.2. These were Games held during the pandemic, with the lowest overall rate yet recorded at the Paralympic Games. A single study, at a single event: reported.
2024 Reported A review of adaptive shooting disciplines repeats the Tokyo figure, 4.8 illnesses per thousand athlete days and 7.2 per cent of para-archers affected, without adding any sample, and in one table swaps the rate for archery with that for shooting. No new data: the status stays reported.

Research lines

16 studiesPara-archery: what has been studied

Studies describe groups of archers, and your own numbers show how far the finding applies to your shooting.

See the work with clubs and federations

Cite

APA

Campagna, M. (2026). At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games about one para-archer in fourteen fell ill (Version 2). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/health/illness-para-archers-paralympics

BibTeX

@misc{campagna2026_malattiegaraparaarcieri,
  author = {Campagna, Matteo},
  title = {At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games about one para-archer in fourteen fell ill},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
  url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/health/illness-para-archers-paralympics},
  note = {Version 2; accessed 2026-10-16}
}

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