On Wednesday, during the rehearsal, Latvian Radio observed that despite the fact that rehearsals start very early, the majority of participants were cheerful and bright.
However, at the Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) car and also at the large yellow medical aid tent, there were dancers lining up for medical assistance:
“My stomach hurts, I can't dance. I don't know why. From food, I suppose. This kind of food is not what I eat daily. Can't dance anymore, I've come for help.”
“The schedule is different – rise at five, breakfast at ten past six, bread all the time, vegetables are quite scarce. And at some point, the pancreas strikes out for that kind of food.”
“The leg just got swollen and painful, yesterday during the rehearsal. I can't walk. Dance - I try.”
In general, though, there are relatively few dancers injured or having health complaints, medical workers at Daugava stadium have observed.
The managing physician of Daugava Stadium, NMPD anesthesiologist–reanimatologist Igors Bobrovs said: “This year the festival is going quite calmly. There are much fewer injuries and illness compared to previous years. Weather conditions may be considered – although there was rain [which may cause] other problems but not so much heat. There are minor injuries – scratches, blisters from new shoes, some dancers with light ligament strains or joint sprains. Yesterday we brought only one patient to a hospital with a slightly more severe injury.”
Bobrovs said that in the previous festival, the medics had just arrived in the mornings, and there had already been a line; this year was nothing like that, the aid had to be provided less frequently, and the main reason was that the weather was not so hot. In addition, there are far fewer tipsy dancers; the use of alcohol had also been a much bigger problem before.
