As the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics unfold, elite winter sports athletes are competing at the highest level on the global stage. Yet injuries remain an unavoidable challenge that could threaten their Olympic dreams. For many athletes, a sports injury can feel like a devastating setback – but it does not have to mark the end of their competitive journey. In an exclusive interview with CGTN, Chen Shiyi, academic leader at the Sports Medicine Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, shared insights into the medical treatment behind athlete injuries and the key to helping them safely return to competition.

Chen explained that most sports injuries among athletes are overuse injuries, affecting body parts repeatedly stressed by the technical demands of a particular sport.

Beyond surgical intervention, he emphasized that psychological support and personalized rehabilitation are equally critical. For injured athletes, the goal is not merely to resume daily life, but to regain full competitive form.

For alpine skiers, knee injuries – especially anterior cruciate ligament ruptures – are the most common. Recalling a recent case, Chen described an alpine skier who suffered a damaged meniscus and a ruptured cruciate ligament due to prolonged joint instability. Following meniscus repair and artificial ligament reconstruction, the athlete returned to competitive skiing just four months after surgery.

Such successful recoveries rely heavily on the cooperation and trust between injured athletes and their medical teams.

Injury is never the final chapter for dedicated athletes. Backed by cutting-edge medical care and unwavering teamwork, elite competitors can overcome physical setbacks, return to the world stage and continue to pursuing their sporting dreams.