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Athletes take blood tests while riding a ferris wheel at Georgia fitness event | Sporting News

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Friday, September 19th 2025 at 15:02 GMT by Sporting News
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Ferris‑Wheel Fitness: Athletes Spin, Blood Tests, and a New Look at Health in Georgia

In a bizarre twist that felt more like a science‑fiction plot than a routine health check, a handful of elite athletes rode a Ferris wheel in Atlanta to get their blood tested. The event, held this past weekend at the historic Centennial Olympic Park, was part of the Georgia Fitness & Health Fair—a city‑wide celebration of sports, nutrition, and preventive medicine that drew over 15,000 visitors. What started as a novelty stunt turned into a showcase of how technology and entertainment can combine to promote a healthier population.

The “Spin‑and‑Test” Concept

The idea was simple, yet audacious: athletes would board a 30‑meter‑high Ferris wheel that had been retrofitted with an array of medical sensors and a portable laboratory. As the wheel turned, participants’ blood pressure, heart rate variability, blood oxygen saturation, and even a quick capillary blood sample were taken. The data were then streamed live to a screen at the park, allowing spectators to watch the science unfold in real time.

“We wanted to remove the barrier between people and health metrics,” said Dr. Lisa Monroe, a cardiologist at Emory University who was on the event’s advisory board. “When the data is displayed in a fun, dynamic setting, it becomes less intimidating. It’s a conversation starter.”

The Ferris wheel itself is a refurbished model that had originally been part of the 1996 Summer Olympics. It was temporarily transformed into what the organizers dubbed the “Health Hub,” complete with a mini‑lab at its base and a data‑visualization wall that displayed a 3‑D model of the heart beating in sync with the passengers’ vitals.

What the Tests Revealed

According to the preliminary results posted by the event’s organizers, the 27 athletes ranged from professional soccer players to seasoned marathoners. While most participants were within normal ranges, a few surprises emerged. One 35‑year‑old triathlete registered an unusually high resting heart rate—97 beats per minute—while another, a 42‑year‑old runner, was found to have a low blood oxygen saturation of 90%, possibly indicating undiagnosed sleep apnea.

“Those are the moments that make these types of initiatives worthwhile,” Monroe said. “If we can catch a subtle abnormality in a recreational setting, we have an opportunity to intervene early.”

The data also served a broader purpose. The Georgia Department of Public Health was collecting anonymized health metrics from the participants to build a database of baseline cardiovascular parameters for athletes in the state. This information will feed into future public health campaigns aimed at reducing the incidence of sudden cardiac arrest among high‑intensity sports participants.

The Role of Sponsors and Partners

The Ferris‑wheel was supplied by SkyView Amusements, a local company that specializes in mobile entertainment installations. The medical equipment was donated by BioSense Technologies, a start‑up that has developed a compact, non‑invasive blood analysis kit that can be used on the go. The partnership was highlighted by a “BioSense Booth” that offered visitors the chance to try a quick finger‑prick blood test and learn how to interpret their own data.

“The integration of BioSense’s technology with a Ferris‑wheel is an innovative way to bring people’s attention to health," said CEO Marcus Lee of BioSense. "We’re thrilled to have the chance to show how technology can make health monitoring accessible and engaging."

Additionally, the event was supported by the Atlanta Sports Foundation and the Georgia Board of Health, both of whom contributed to the medical oversight and public‑education materials distributed at the fair. A portion of the proceeds from the Ferris‑wheel ticket sales went to the Atlanta Children’s Hospital’s “Heart Health for Kids” program.

How the Public Responded

The crowd at Centennial Olympic Park was a mix of families, athletes, and curious onlookers. Video footage on social media shows groups of teenagers cheering as their friend was “tested” from the Ferris‑wheel’s high seat. Many spectators posted live streams of the data wall, which displayed a pulsing, animated heart that synced with each athlete’s heart rate.

One attendee, Maya Patel, a 22‑year‑old college student who had previously played college basketball, shared a TikTok clip that went viral. “I never thought a Ferris‑wheel could be a health station,” she said. “It was fun, but I learned so much about my own heart.”

The Bigger Picture: Health, Entertainment, and Data

While the Ferris‑wheel tests might appear gimmicky, the underlying initiative fits into a larger movement that leverages gamification and entertainment to encourage healthier lifestyles. Health officials in Georgia are already exploring similar models—such as pop‑up health kiosks at theme parks and interactive fitness challenges in urban spaces—to raise awareness about preventive care.

“Data is power,” Monroe said. “The more people see their own health metrics in an engaging environment, the more likely they are to act on it—whether that means visiting a doctor, cutting down on sugary drinks, or just paying more attention to how they feel day to day.”

The Georgia Fitness & Health Fair is scheduled to return next summer with a revamped lineup of attractions, including a “virtual reality cycling” track that will allow participants to monitor their lactate threshold in real time, and a partnership with the National Center for Cardiovascular Prevention to host a live heart‑health lecture series.

For now, the Ferris‑wheel experiment remains a unique snapshot of how far public health initiatives have come in blending technology, data, and a little bit of fun. As the spinning wheel in Centennial Olympic Park rolled to a stop, it carried not only the athletes but also a promising idea: that health metrics need not stay behind closed lab doors, but can instead spin into the public eye—literally and figuratively.