Year 5 medical student, Zari Bhatti shares an inspiring insight into her time as a medical volunteer during Birmingham Commonwealth Games. From interesting uniform colours and unfortunate sun cream injuries to watching gold medal winning athletics and working with inspiring team members and super friendly sports fans.
Last summer, Birmingham hosted the Commonwealth Games 2022 with unprecedented integration of parasports and more events for women than men for the first time. The proximity of the games to home (Manchester) and the concurrence with the summer holiday seemed like the perfect opportunity to be involved in a global event and get a taste of spectator medicine.
Therefore, in January 2022 I submitted an online application before being invited to a Zoom interview in which I was asked questions like, ‘What sporting events have inspired you?’ and, ‘What size trousers do you wear?’.
The long awaited uniform delivery
I was assigned to be a medical volunteer at Edgbaston Stadium, where eight countries, including England, Australia, India, and New Zealand, were competing in women’s T20 cricket.
A few months before games time, I attended training days in Birmingham to brush up on first aid and public engagement, as well as to tour the venue I would be working at. The long-awaited uniform arrived, an interesting combination of violent orange and teal, with a Peaker Blinders-style cap to top it off. Finally, the games kicked off with an opening ceremony involving puppet Shakespeare, Malala Yousafzai and a 2.5 tonne animatronic bull.
My volunteer roster left me with plenty of time for other ticketed events so between shifts I saw Pakistan beat Canada in men’s hockey with a literally last-minute goal, Eilish McColgan’s spectacular 10,000m win for Scotland, some violent squash matches and the confusing but visually stunning closing ceremony. There were also free festival sites to attend as well as the usual Birmingham sights.
On patrol at Edgbaston
My role as medical team member involved patrolling an assigned area of Edgbaston stadium in a team of two or three acting as first response to any medical incidents in the stands and retail areas. There were eight to 10 spectator teams and a separate field-of-play team to attend to the athletes.
The weather alternated between scorching sun and full-frontal assaults of wind so finding a sheltered place to stand with a good view of the pitch became a game of strategy and timing.
My favourite job was radio-bearer which involved communicating spy-style with Control and other teams about positioning, medical incidents, and the all-important meal break. ‘Spec team 3 to control, spec team 3 to control, what time should we go for lunch? Over.’
Picking up unexpected skills and knowledge
The most common medical incidents were collapses and minor injuries, the former at noon when the temperature peaked and the latter correlating with alcohol sales. I myself performed highly technical medical feats including handing out plasters and directing towards toilets. Despite not getting much exposure to medicine beyond the thrilling presentation of sun cream-in-eye, it was a hugely worthwhile experience.
I learnt about the logistics of spectator and sports medicine, refreshed my basic first aid skills and improved my ability to translate a Birmingham accent. Despite my best efforts, I also picked up some cricket knowledge from the information video broadcast before every match and by working alongside the cricket fanatics that had applied specifically to Edgbaston.
Working with inspiring healthcare professionals
I met many different types of healthcare professionals from the official Edgbaston event doctor to enthusiastic locals with first aid certificates. The teams changed every shift and I got to work alongside firefighters, district nurses, midwives, emergency medicine doctors and of course fellow medical students, most volunteering between their shifts at work.
It was great being able to hear about their careers and day-to-day working life and get advice and inspiration. There was a great sense of community and shared identity between all the volunteers. Most were from Birmingham and proud of their city, but others had travelled from across the UK and beyond to help. I’ve worn uniform most of my life, but the friendliness I encountered in my volunteer uniform, despite the unfortunate colour, blew me away.
Next, Paris 2024!
