Ideally, there should be a dedicated room in the accommodation to set up a clinic. However, many times when space is at a premium or it is too costly to do this, your bedroom doubles as a clinic space – this is not ideal, but it does happen and you have to be flexible in these situations and provide a professional service regardless of the scenarios you may be faced with. Do you take your own treatment tables? Yes, if you can. I have been to tournaments where provision of a treatment table was promised, only to find there were not enough for the number of clinicians and athletes. I would recommend a minimum of one portable plinth per clinician. There is a wide variety available on the market and my personal preference is a light plinth, with a lifting end (so the player can sit up) and adjustable height.

Be clear about your hours of work and where and how the athletes can access you. A timetable outside the treatment room of available appointment slots that the athletes can sign up for normally works well. A mobile contact number should also be on the door so the players can contact you when you are not there. If you are working with a team, access to you is straightforward – you follow the team. If it is an individual sport, e.g. swimming or athletics, depending on how many clinicians there are you will allocate your time accordingly between the hotel and competition venue to suit the warm-up and race times of the athletes. Arrange your schedule so you can accommodate all the athletes as necessary but also give yourself some downtime as well. You don’t want to burn out halfway through a competition because you have been doing 16 hour days. How late is it reasonable to work? This will vary depending on the competition schedule and you have to be flexible to accommodate this. Don’t forget to allocate time to non-treatment activities such as paperwork, liaising with other medical staff, attending meetings, etc.

Athletes are in continual close proximity, often sharing accommodation, and any cold can quickly travel round an entire squad. Additionally, travel in certain countries carries a higher risk of gastrointestinal problems and travellers’ diarrhoea.

Any of these illnesses can have a devastating effect on a squad. The key here is prevention.

It is essential to discuss these tips with the athletes, especially the importance of hand washing. I always travel with a packet of “wet wipes” as well as the hand gel, as in some places access to good hand washing facilities may be difficult.

Immediate isolation and management of any affected team or team member is essential to avoid cross infection.