Australian professional hockey player Matt Dawson has made the shocking decision to amputate part of his finger in order to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
In an extreme show of dedication to the sport, the athlete, who is a member of the Australian men’s hockey team, revealed that his participation in the Games was thrown into doubt after he broke his right ring finger.
To secure his spot in the Kookaburras squad, the silver medallist opted into amputating part of the finger rather than being fitted with a cast.
Speaking with 7News, the seasoned athlete said that despite how insane his decision may come across, it was “informed” and made in consultation with a plastic surgeon
“The best option was for me to take the top of my finger off. It’s a bit of a change at the moment and an exciting challenge, I guess,” he shared in an interview with the media organisation.
The 30-year-old went on to describe the decision as “rash” and revealed he had high hopes about “getting back to form” in time for the Olympic hockey tournament.
He then added that he felt “very fortunate” that he only needed to amputate “just a little bit” of the finger in question.
“There are plenty of other issues and other people going on with other stuff in their lives that are bigger than losing a finger, so I’m very fortunate that it’s just a little bit of my finger.”
Kookaburras Coach Colin Batch praised his player for making such a huge decision about his future (and finger) so close to the Opening Ceremony.
“Dawson is back in training now. He’s certainly set the bar high for anyone getting a broken finger in the future, but full marks to Matt, he’s made that decision and obviously really committed to playing in Paris.”
The Kookaburras will play their first match against 2016 Olympic champions Argentina on July 27. Here’s where you can tune into all the action.
Read more Olympic content from the New Idea team here.
