Orthopedics Today interviews Riley J. Williams III, MD, sports medicine surgeon at HSS and team physician for USA Basketball, about his experience at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Dr. Williams noted the restrictions in place to protect the safety of participants and attendees during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Williams explained the focus on the mental health of the athletes, who were not only away from their support network, but also had to stay isolated while attending the games.

“In many ways, it just made them more focused on the task at hand, which was to go there and demonstrate that they are the best basketball players in the world,” he added.

Dr. Williams said overall the Olympics was a worthwhile experience. “[It] definitely took me out of what was the norm of my day-to-day clinical life and, quite frankly, I was more of a doctor than I was a ‘carpenter,’ which I am in my normal life. It required me to use a knowledge base and skillset that I do not typically use, but I was grateful to realize I still had that,” he reflected.

Read the full article at Healio.com/news/orthopedics.