An Australian field hockey player has chosen to amputate part of his finger to compete at the Paris Olympics. Matt Dawson severely broke a finger on his right hand during team training in Perth two weeks ago, and the recovery from surgery would have taken months.
To ensure he could participate in his third Games, the 30-year-old decided to have the finger removed from the knuckle up, shocking his teammates and coach. Dawson will take the field with the Kookaburras as they face Argentina on Saturday, just 16 days after his injury.
Dawson recounted to the media that the break was so severe he passed out upon seeing his finger in the changing room, initially thinking his Olympic dream was over. He urgently consulted a plastic surgeon who advised that even with surgery, the finger might not regain full function and would require a long recovery. However, if it was amputated, he could be back playing in 10 days.
Despite his wife’s warning not to make any “rash” decisions, Dawson made his “informed” choice that same afternoon. “I’m definitely closer to the end of my career than the start, and who knows, this could be my last [Olympics]. If I felt that I could still perform at my best, then that’s what I was going to do,” he told the Parlez Vous Hockey podcast. “If taking the top of my finger was the price I had to pay, that’s what I would do.”
Team captain Aran Zalewski said the decision sent ripples of shock through the squad, but they ultimately supported Dawson. “We didn’t really know what to think, and then we heard that he went to the hospital and chopped his finger off, which was pretty interesting because I know people would give an arm and a leg and even a little bit of finger to be here sometimes,” he said at a news conference in Paris. “When you’ve spent a lifetime of choice and sacrifice to come and compete at the highest level, I think for him it was an easy decision.”
Earlier this week, Kookaburras coach Colin Batch confirmed Dawson was back training with the team. “Full marks to Matt. Obviously he’s really committed to playing in Paris. I’m not sure I would have done it, but he’s done it, so great,” he told Australia’s Seven News Network.
This is not the first time Dawson has faced a severe injury. He nearly lost an eye after being hit by a hockey stick before the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Despite that, he played for the Kookaburras as they won gold in that tournament and again when they secured a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
