Sports are ingrained in the American identity, from the NFL and NHL to the rising prominence of the WNBA and PWHL.
This passion takes center stage during the Olympic Games. Athletes from all over the world compete, yet the U.S. is the most successful nation in Olympic history with its number of gold medals. While our athletes’ talent is undeniable, a significant part of that success comes from a uniquely American advantage: the athletic trainer.
The concept of an athletic trainer is rare on the international stage; Canada and Ireland are the only other nations with a similar model. Yet, in the U.S., we are increasingly the first point of care for everyone from youth athletes to professionals, providing a level of accessibility that other countries lack.
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I have the privilege of serving as the first-ever athletic trainer for the U.S. Biathlon team. Biathlon is a grueling sport that combines the high-intensity cardio of cross-country skiing with the precision of rifle shooting. My position was created knowing how valuable an athletic trainer would be as the main health care provider.
During the World Cup and 2026 Winter Games in Milan so far this year, I often called myself a “jack of all trades.” In my role, I am the primary medical provider on the ground for eight elite athletes. I act as a first responder, triage coordinator and sports medicine lead, ensuring the team stays injury and illness free. Working in tandem with our team physician based in Utah, I manage everything from nutritional supplements and daily health check-ins to the prevention of minor injuries that can derail years of training. I act as our team physician’s eyes and ears on the ground.
And the results speak for themselves. This year, the U.S. men’s relay team finished fifth, the best Olympic finish in our program’s history. While the U.S. did not medal in biathlon, the gap for the future is closing. Our athletes tell me they are the healthiest they have ever been because a dedicated athletic trainer relieves the stress of navigating their own health care, allowing them to focus entirely on their performance.
‘Olympic-level’ care shouldn’t be a luxury
But this “Olympic-level” care shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for the world’s best. Athletic trainers specialize in preventing and treating chronic injuries and medical conditions, understanding health far beyond bones and muscles. I’ve implemented general health screenings for our junior athletes to catch allergies and chronic issues early. We are facilitators for the entire health care system, experts at triaging needs and directing patients to the right specialists.
As a proud alumna of Gustavus Adolphus College, I call Minnesota home. But current Minnesota law constrains athletic trainers like me. Our state’s practice act hasn’t been significantly updated since 1993, when I was just 3 years old. It limits my ability to only treat athletes, even though my education, training and board certification are based on providing care to patients throughout their entire lifespan.
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To my knowledge, we are the only profession in Minnesota in which a practice act defines a patient population this way. Minnesota is in the minority. Forty-one other states define patient populations as individuals, patients or physically active persons. While the medical field and our education have leaped forward in the last three decades, our regulations are stuck in the past.
Today, athletic trainers work in high school athletics, colleges, sports medicine clinics, military bases and warehouses, yet we face unnecessary hurdles when helping patients in these settings. At a time when health care access is a crisis in both rural and urban Minnesota, it makes sense to give patients access to more skilled providers.
The Minnesota Legislature has the opportunity this year to modernize our scope of practice, recognizing the master’s-level education and clinical expertise that modern athletic trainers possess. I am practicing at the highest level of sports medicine on the world stage. But now that I am home from Milan, the law prevents me from helping a neighbor or a friend who wants to exercise without pain.
Minnesota needs to reduce the hoops that active, healthy people have to jump through. We need more access to care, not more 30-year-old red tape.
Annika Pasch is athletic trainer and medical coordinator for the U.S. Biathlon team. She lives in Minnesota.
