Planning for mass gatherings involves health system preparedness based on an understanding of natural and technological hazards identified through prior risk assessment. We present the expected hazards reported by health administrators of the host cities for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and discuss the hazards considering minimal available public hospital beds in the 12 cities at the time ...

OBJECTIVE The 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil included 64 matches in temperate to tropical environmental conditions. We analysed performance data in relation to the environmental conditions to identify potential association. METHODS Wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) parameters were obtained at the centre of the field 1 h before the start of play. Environmental stress was estimated (low, moderate a...

Every four years, the 10 national teams members of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) compete for one of the slots available to South America in the final phase of the FIFA World Cup. The qualifying phase consists of a double round robin tournament, played in 9 match-days, with every team playing twice on each match-day. The overall tournament is spread throughout 2 years, so ...

This paper focuses on the contribution of mega events onto the development of a green economy at the event host location and discusses how to measure it. The promises of organizers usually are very ambitious but the question remains as to how realistic these claims are. This question will be addressed in three sections by using methods that are primarily analytical and critical rather than an e...

BACKGROUND To guarantee equal chances for different age groups, age-related tournaments for male and female players have been established in soccer. However, as registration at birth is not compulsory in some countries, other methods of age determination are needed to prevent participation in the incorrect age group. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the age of soccer players of international U-17 compe...