Australian Hockey Athletes Amputate Fingers To Tand At The 2024 Olympics

JAKARTA Australian field hockey player Matt Dawson has taken the decision to amputate his finger to fit faster and be able to appear at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 30-year-old athlete and silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics had doubts about appearing in Paris after recently experiencing a broken ring finger in his right hand.

Doctors gave him the option to amputate or let the finger recover by itself. The first option was chosen because that was the only thing that allowed him to perform in Paris later.

Dawson said that without thinking he immediately made a decision to save his place in France this year.

"I made a decision, then I called his wife and he said, 'I don't want you to make a rash decision'," he told Australian television station The Seven Network.

On that occasion, The Seven Network showed Dawson's finger after undergoing amputation. The athlete was also seen still wearing black bandages on his finger.

"I feel I have all the information I need to make a decision, not just to play in Paris, but for the life after and give myself the best health," he said.

Australian men's team coach Colin Batch praised Dawson's bold and commitment steps. He said he wasn't sure he could do the same if such a situation happened to him.

"The best way to recover from the injury is to cut off his fingertip. So, that's what he did. That's not something a coach can decide for a player," said Colin.

Dawson and the Australian team were runners-up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after losing to Belgium in the final. This year they came with ambitions to improve the result.

The Paris 2024 Olympics will officially open on July 26, 2024. The field hockey sport will start competing on July 27, 2024.