Q&A with FISU Medical Chair on athlete health initiatives

Before the start of the Taipei Summer Universiade 2017, FISU sat down with the chair of their medical committee, Dusan Hamar. With athlete development and health being at the heart of the university sports movement, the chat covered everything from how the event looks to ensure a level playing field to innovative medical initiatives like Check-up Your Heart.

 

Hamar addressing delegates from National University Sports Federations and others at the 34th FISU General Assembly in Lausanne in 2015.  

To start things off, I wanted to know a little bit more about the anti-doping test specifics that are planned at the Summer Universiade; how many in-competition and out-of-competition tests do you anticipate taking place? Will both blood and urine be tested?

 

 

There will be about 750 samples collected out of which around 10 percent will be pre-competition. The exact number depends on the testing requests in the case of national records, namely in swimming and track and field. Pre-competition testing will also include blood collections.

 

 

How will these tests be carried out?

 

 

The Taipei NADO (National Anti-Doping Organisation) has trained the appropriate number of certified DCOs (Doping Control Officers). These two, together with chaperones and auxillary personnel, will be in charge of sample collection.

 

 

The FISU Medical Commission members will be supervising collections. Doping control stations will be arranged at every venue with additional one inside the Athletes’ Village. Also, inside the Village Policlinic there will be doping control coordination center where samples from sport venues will be transported, respecting the principle of chain of custody.

 

 

Where will the testing take place?

 

 

The WADA-accredited laboratory in Tokyo, Japan has been contracted to carry out the analyses. Samples will be shipped via courier service on daily basis from coordination center.

 

 

What is the turn-around time for these testing results?

 

 

The contracted response time is 48 hours from delivery to the laboratory. So with exception of the final 3 days, there is a possibility to start result management already during Universiade in Taipei. Arranging B-sample, if requested by an athletes, usually takes time; however, even this is theoretically possible, should the positive result occur in the first half of Universiade.

 

 

Who came up with the testing plan?

 

 

The test distribution plan was prepared by Doping control department, under guidance of FISU Medical Commission. This plan respects the WADA technical document for sport specific analyses (TDSSA), which takes into account not only the ranking and random principle, but also risk of the sports. This plan has some flexibility to respect any suspicious intelligence information gained during the games.

 

 

Are there any national peculiarities, such as clenbuterol in pork meat in China?

 

 

So far, we not aware of any such information. Taipei OC has contracted reliable catering suppliers so we have a good reason to believe that this is not going to be a problem.

 

                                         Hamar speaking at a medical support event in Krasnoyarsk. The Russian city is set to host the Winter Universiade in 2019.

FISU and WADA teamed up to create athlete education resources, particularly around the 2015 and 2017 Summer Universiades. What role do you see education playing in clean sport, both for the athlete and within an athlete’s team and entourage?

 

 

Education and keeping awareness of doping problem is an important part of the anti-doping fight. There will be an educational booth in the Athletes’ Village, where participants will have the opportunity to extend their knowledge.

 

 

In 2015, FISU and WADA worked with the Gwangju Summer Universiade organising committee to create the Anti-Doping Learning Hub. Will we see similar collaborations between FISU and WADA?

 

 

The E-book on doping created in a joint activity betweem the Gwangju organising committee, FISU and WADA is still actual and generally well received, namely by universities to foster anti-doping education. Once out-dated, FISU may think about an upgraded edition.

 

                                           Hamar takes questions from the media after a speech on medical related issues in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.  

The IAAF recently gave the green light for a group of Russian athletes to compete in athletics. What does this mean for athletics at the Taipei Summer Universiade?

 

Generally FISU honors decisions of IFs (International Federations) related to doping. So all the athletes freed by IAAF will be welcome at the Universiade. Clean, high-level athletes are always welcome as they contribute to the level and success of the Universiade competition.

 

 

 

 

FISU is also a leader in athlete health initiatives, like the Check-Up Your Heart Programme, the largest cardiac evaluation of international university athletes. Just how big of an issue is assessing of cardiac abnormality in university athletes?

 

 

There are basically two main objectives of this project. The first is to obtain more precise information on the incidence of cardiac abnormalities among elite athletes. The second is to offer the opportunity for athletes to undergo a complex heart screening who do not have an access to such a sophisticated technologies in their own countries. Check-Up Your Heart team will work hard to reach a goal of screening 2,000 Universiade athletes.