14 - 20 March 2002
Issue No.577
|
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 14 - 20 March 2002 Issue No.577 |
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
Take your medicine
On the rocky road to making an Olympic champion, Nashwa Abdel-Tawab reviews a sports therapy conference that might turn the route into a super highway
What does it take to make a sports champion? A sports medicine conference had some of the answers.
Held in Cairo last Saturday and Sunday, the conference, the second of its kind, brought together doctors, physical education specialists, physiotherapists, psychologists and coaches under the governmental umbrella of the ministries of youth and health. Their mission was to emulate as much as possible the system in foreign countries where therapy is the spiritual godfather of sports.
"The aim is to bring together specialists concerned with sports medicine and help them increase their knowledge to help Egyptian athletes excel in the Olympics and other international events," said Dr Hesham Saadeddin Hanafi, one of the organisers.
"The coaches deal with the talent but we deal with the body, soul and environment surrounding the athlete," Hanafi added.
The conference dealt in detail with children and how coaches and parents are guilty of burning up young, tender muscles. Any club member in Egypt will have noticed the stunning number of youngsters hectically going to and from one sport to the other, all the while being exhorted by parents and trainers determined to see them become extraordinary beings. The result of such pushing, grounded in no scientific methodology, could be calamitous.
Alieddin Hilal, minister of youth, and Ismail Sallam, minister of health, who attended the lectures, agree. "Most Egyptian sports failures result from a lack of medical awareness," Hilal said. "All sports medical specialisations should be developed and looked into seriously to reach our target, which is to make champions. We should all acknowledge that sports medicine has become a science, an important practice and a vital component."
One lecture dealt with nutrition, liver and the effects of banned steroids on the body. Dr Edmon Takla of the International Weightlifting Federation underlined the importance of steroid awareness. Discussions focused on safe alternative stimulants and natural-performance enhancers.
At the opening session, all agreed on the need to persuade officials of the importance of sports medicine to team performance and the joint effort of the media. Delegates hoped for a greater awareness among athletes of the best diets for particular disciplines.
Another topic focused on the causes of injuries and rehabilitation as well as alternative therapy. Speakers stressed the importance of increasing awareness among athletes and coaches of Cardio- Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). Discussions also revealed that many minor injuries were made worse unnecessarily. "The haphazard treatment of injured athletes is responsible for ending careers," Dr Yehia El-Tarraf said.
Lectures dealt with the psychological preparation of athletes and the effect of atmospheric changes on players. Other lectures dealt with the prevention of infectious and epidemic diseases of athletes; the coordination of nervous and muscular action in increasing a player's performance; the importance of family history diseases; and junior players who are not given enough attention and medical care.
On the conference's final day, the 200 specialists who attended called for the equipping of a sports therapy hospital in Nasr City, including the setting up of a dope-testing laboratory. All urged the media to help raise the profile of sports therapy in Egypt especially in schools. "Totally medically" was the conference's slogan, Hanafi said. "Your body has a right, and you have to look after it right."
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||
| ARCHIVES Letter from the Editor Editorial Board Subscription Advertise! |
WEEKLY ONLINE: www.ahram.org.eg/weekly Updated every Saturday at 11.00 GMT, 2pm local time weeklyweb@ahram.org.eg |
 Al-Ahram Organisation |
Recommend this page