ABSTRACT
As the international world of sport grows and evolves, so too does the field of sports medicine, and with participation rates in sport on the rise there is an expanding list of countries producing world-class athletes. Modern-day athletes span age groups like never before, and a significant portion of them are recreational athletes who expect that their participation in sport will not adversely affect their day-to-day lives. Consequently, the sports medicine physician continues to play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and treatment of athletic injuries, injury prevention, and maintenance of general health, as well as optimizing athletic performance through proper training, nutrition, and lifestyle. The health status of an elite athlete is often of such high profile that there is a great onus on the team physician to operate at an elite level by managing the interests of patients, teams, the media, and, unfortunately at times, the legal system.
