Arabic translation, cultural adaptation, and preliminary validation of the International Olympic Committee Medical Report of Injury and Illness form

Background: Surveillance of injuries and illnesses is crucial to safeguarding athletes’ health and performance. Obtaining reliable, comparable data requires the application of standardized definitions and methodologies. Aim: This study sought to (i) translate the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Report of Injury and Illness form from English to Arabic, (ii) culturally adjust it for use with Arabic speakers, and (iii) test it for use among Arabic-speaking athletes. Methods: The original English version of the Medical Report of Injury form was translated into Arabic using internationally recognized methods and cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. This process included forward-backwards translation, expert review, and cognitive interviews. The participants (N = 19) comprised Saudi Arabian athletes with previous injuries, coaches, and sports medicine professionals. The preliminary content validity was evaluated using the Item-Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) and Scale-Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI/Ave). Face validity was assessed using cognitive interviews with 15 of the 19 participants. Results: The I-CVI scores for all 14 items ranged from 0.86 to 1.00; the S-CVI/Ave score was 0.96, both of which indicate good agreement content validity. A total of 13 items were rated “highly suitable” (score = 4); one item (“no return to sport possible”) attracted a score of 3. Cognitive interviews confirmed that all items were clear and culturally appropriate for the Arabic participants. Minor wording changes were made to some items based on participant feedback. Conclusion: The Arabic version of the IOC Medical Report of Injury and Illness form demonstrated high preliminary content and face validity. Therefore, this version is deemed suitable for use with Arabic-speaking athletes for standardized injury and illness reporting. Adopting the Arabic version of the form is expected to improve the accuracy and comparability of epidemiological data and may foster its integration into digital injury surveillance systems.