Fall and Head Impact Acceleration Monitoring of Short Track Speed Skaters

Short track speed skating is a fast-paced sport where athletes routinely reach speed above 50 km/h. It is one of the leading Canadian sports for medal count at the Olympic games. Unfortunately, given the fast-paced and pack-style skating, athletes often fall on the ice, which may lead to concussion. There is no clear data on the incidence of falls in short track speed skating, nor is there a clear understanding of the mechanism of head impact.

Therefore, this project will track the incidence of falls and measure head impacts that may lead to concussion using ‘smart’ mouth guards.

Helmet testing and impact modeling: an approach to better understand the problematic of concussion in short track speed skating

The sport of short track speed skating is an extremely fast paced sport, in which multiple skaters, reaching speeds upwards of 50 km/h, jockey for position on a narrow track. Although skaters wear protective equipment and helmets, concussions continue to plague the health of athletes. Currently, there are no statistics on the rates and prevalence of concussion in short track speed skaters.