An Olympic athlete has had his finger amputated after he suffered an injury just so he can play in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

An Olympic athlete has had his finger amputated after he suffered an injury just so he can play in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Just two weeks ago, Matthew Dawson, a 30-year-old hockey player from Australia, suffered a badly broken finger on his right-hand during a team training session in Perth, Australia, and, after consulting with doctors, he found out the injury would take months to recover from and that he would miss out on the opportunity to play in his third Olympic Games.

But instead of opting for a long recovery, Dawson made a decision that would shock his teammates and has already made headlines around the world. He decided to amputate his finger so that he could compete in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

  • @[email protected]
    16•4 months ago

    Tbh I kinda get it. The below is my immediate thoughts but perhaps there’s another angle I’m not considering.

    If you’re a professional player at that level then the sport is your life. You’ve probably been training since you were a child and you’ve completely dedicated yourself to it. Training almost every day, not doing things that other people get to do so as not to harm your performance, which probably affects your relationships.

    In any sport where physicality is concerned, you have an expiry date. You will inevitably age out. It’s just a fact of life.

    The Olympics is arguably the most culturally significant and important sporting event in human history so far, or at least one of them.

    I can see why someone who has dedicated their life to their sport would make this decision to play in that event, even if they’ve already done it before, because they WILL age out of it sooner or later. And really, is one missing finger going to be that much of an impairment for the rest of his life? I’m guessing it’s not a thumb so… Probably not.

    I think the decision is understandable and rational. I wouldn’t choose it myself, but I’m not a professional athlete who has dedicated their life to what they do.