The Rio Olympics are shining a spotlight on the best and most successful athletes in the world as they compete to win Gold medals for themselves and for the country. However it’s not always world records that get shattered, as illustrated by French gymnast Ait Said’s bone-breaking injury. Injuries such as this can spell the end of an athlete or sportsperson’s career, but what happens when your source of income is cut off unexpectedly? This is where insurance comes in.
A lot of training and effort goes into sport and a sporting career is extremely reliant on health and fitness. If you were to fall ill or suffer an injury, it could cause you to fall behind on your training and miss vital games and competitions, hurting your career opportunities. If you are a professional athlete, missing tournaments could result in missed prize-money as well as making you less attractive to sponsors. Finally, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer a career-ending injury, you could suddenly find yourself without a source of income.
However, just as you can insure your home against disasters like flooding and burglary and you can insure your business against fires and legal expenses, if you are an athlete or sportsperson you can also insure yourself against injury and illness. After all, for an athlete or sportsperson what they do is, in essence, their business, and a broken bone or a debilitating illness have the potential to be as damaging to their livelihood as a flash flood is to a shop owner.
The concept of insuring your body may seem like a strange one, but when you are reliant on your good health to fulfil your aspirations and make a living, it suddenly makes a lot more sense. The right insurance policy could cover you in the event you can no longer train or compete, providing you with vital financial support during a difficult time.
