Last month we had a lot of interest in the article on anti doping programmes. With all the furore over the last week drug testing is very much in the public spotlight and likely to remain there for some time to come.

It is clear that athletes in all sports must take responsibility for their actions particularly in the area of drugs. Figures released recently by UK Sport showed that of the 1,416 samples taken between 1st July and the 30th September 2003, 15 have been reported to governing bodies for further action. The breakdown as four for stimulants, seven for anabolic steroids, one for marijuana and three for failure to comply with request for testing.

Whilst over 60% of testing is usually carried out at events athletes must be aware that testing is also done out of competition at squad training sessions or as part of the ‘anywhere, anytime testing programme’.

At the Sports Institute Northern Ireland we are planning a proactive approach to this important area for athletes in conjunction with the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and UK Sport we will be hosting three seminars at venues in the Greater Belfast area at the end of January 04. It will be mandatory for all SINI athletes to attend one of these seminars. Failure to do so will put your scholarship at SINI in jeopardy.

Phil Glasgow, Chris Bleakley and Joanne Hanna our physiotherapy team have been particularly busy in the past month, as athletes trying to book sessions have found out. Following screenings of new athletes a considerable amount of rehabilitation has been necessary. Phil is generally pleased at how athletes are beginning to manage their injuries so that future set backs are avoided. Athletes must realise that the ‘homework’ set by Phil between sessions must be done if the recovery from injury is to be completely successful. It is usually hard work but it will prove beneficial in the long term.

WEEK THREE OF THE WORLD CUP

The performances of the so-called ‘smaller nations’ on weekend three brought real excitement to the tournament. The display of Manu Samoa in particular against one of the favourites England, added intensity coupled with anticipation of a huge upset. Although, it was not to be, England scoring late on – the Samoans did their fans and the armchair neutral proud.

For Ireland it is a case of result rather than performance. Making the last eight of the competition after defeating Argentina by a solitary point means Irish rugby can breathe a sigh of relief. The commercial spin – offs allow much needed capital to be reinvested in the game from grass roots – up. Young potentials are inspired to take up the game because their national heroes are winning on the world stage. A similar buzz reverberates round tennis in England when Tim Henman is charging through the respective rounds, usually to the semis - you can’t get onto a tennis court country wide for every ‘wanna – be’ Tim Henman, no matter the age or physic.

The World Cup has certainly raised one or two debates surrounding the divide between the larger and smaller nations. But the IRB has taken strides to ensure the smaller nations are not financially disadvantaged by the tournament. All teams are awarded a participation bonus of £150,000 and the cost of all their travel, accommodation and meals is picked up by the IRB. In an attempt to even the odds further, the IRB have given every country a supply of equipment, which includes, balls, agility poles, tackle suits, hit shields, marker cones, sled scrum machine and wait for it – two ice baths.

However, if Scotland overcome Fiji next weekend and it is an ‘if’, especially after their mauling to the French, the top eight nations will compete in the quarterfinals.

MAJOR CHALLENGE FACES GAELIC FOOTBALL

This month the GAA newsletter publishes in full a story by Derry assistant manager John Morrison. It highlights one of the major challenges facing Gaelic Football and advocates radical steps to meet the challenge.

BRIGHT STARS BURN OUT

With the All-Ireland final over and most county championships complete, Gaels in general settle down for a rest, thinking that the season is over. There is a group of young players, however, where this is far from the truth and, unless their plight is tackled by the Association could find itself in huge trouble. I am referring to the group of young athletes, elite young players, usually late teens to early twenties, who are suffering increasingly from ‘burn-out’ given the demands placed on them by several managers. Some young players are already engaged in school or university training and could well be involved in Ulster club championships and also be training for county Ulster Minor Leagues or U21 championships. After Christmas they will then be expected to join club training for the new season.

The whole problem is then compounded if the young player is a dual player, playing hurling, not forgetting the player who is also talented at rugby or soccer. The number of masters to serve can be astounding and each of those masters is eager to use the ‘guilt’ factor or the phrase ‘you have to play for us’! On top of all these demands, they have to work or study and, in many cases, much travelling is involved too and from all these venues. Is it any wonder then that diet suffers, sleep patterns are disturbed, concentration is affected, the immune system is run down, health, both physical and mental, is affected and injury sets it.

Take ‘Young player of the Year’ last season, Ronan Clarke, who had to serve county, (Senior and U21), university, (St Mary’s in the Sigerson Cup), and club, travelling to and from Belfast to do so. Ultimately he ended up with a serious injury which needed an operation. Hopefully, the same doesn’t happen to Tyrone’s young Sean Cavanagh in the months ahead.

I was speaking to two young players recently, one from Donegal attending Sligo IT, and the other a schoolboy from Derry. The Donegal lad told me that over the course of most weeks he ‘HAS’ to train every day and, many times last season, had two sessions a day and two matches a day. His main concern was that he was mentally drained but he despaired because he felt no one was listening to him. The lad from Derry, a dual player, was involved in Macrory Cup football, Colleges hurling, club football and hurling at Minor and Senior level, and he was a member of the County Minors, and he faces all that again this season as he studies for his ‘A’ levels, as he is still a Minor. While the county senior management has already indicated they will not use him, he may be asked to turn out for club and county U21 squads.

These situations are replicated all over the country and initial discussions between all the various ‘competing’ managers has borne little fruit. The same scenario is now beginning at a younger level, with the advent of development squads. Young Athletes good health is paramount to their well-being and development, and the Association must act and guide immediately.

Changes to the calendar’s playing season must be considered, the number of competitions must be reduced and, perhaps, Minor and U21 grades could be scrapped, allowing for one new grade at U19. These are some of the remedies which can be taken on board to lessen the risk of our bright young stars being burnt out too early.

A useful starting point may be to begin with removing the ‘winning’ philosophy at U10, U12, U14 and, even U16, and use competition properly for players development. Doing that may also help the Association preventing loss of large numbers of potential players too early.

THE ROAD TO ATHENS

As the cold dark nights draw in, two of our SINI athletics squad attended a warm weather training camp in Cyprus. ‘Athletics Ireland’ took prospective Olympians for a get together at the base to help build team spirit as well as outline plans for the season. Paul Brizzel and Paul Mc Kee took time away from the rain in Northern Ireland to help focus their minds on the season ahead. Brizzel has the confidence going into the winter as one of very few athletes to have the ‘A’ qualifying standard for Athens, which almost guarantees him selection. Mc Kee at the moment only has the ‘B’ standard which means he must return to the form which gained him an Irish 400m record 15months ago, if he is to book his place to Athens. Both men will almost certainly go as part of the Irish relay set-up, if they decide to take teams.

The SINI endurance athletes prefer autumnal shades at this time of year as the British Isles cross country season kicks into action; with the highlight for us being the Stormont International Cross-Country on the 10th January 2004. Northern Ireland teams will take in several fixtures in the run up to this event, which will hopefully be covered by Sky television again, this year. The AAI Inter County Championships in Mullingar on the 30th November will act as a trial for the European Cross-Country Championships, where Athletics Ireland have announced that they will be sending four full teams. The European Cross-Country Championships take place in Edinburgh on the 14th December 2003. Northern Ireland cross-country champion Dermot Donnelly will not be trying to make the Irish squad as he intends to focus on the World Cross-Country Championships in Brussels next March.

The Irish Coaching and Umpiring committees hosted the National Coaching and Umpiring Conference over the weekend of the 18th and 19th of October in Dublin. This was timed to coincide with the Irish Hockey Associations Strategic Plan. The National coaches held group discussions with their Provincial counterparts to align coaching strategies and improve communication. National coaches discussed at length technical and tactical aspects of the game at the elite level drawing on experiences at the recent European Nations Cup in which both Irish teams participated.
An Umpires Forum was also held to discuss the implementation of the new rules, which come into force on November 1st in Ulster and January 1st at International Level. The most significant rule change for local players is the allowance of the lifted ball into the circle as long as it’s not dangerous.

SINI News story on the Irish Hockey Associations Strategic Plan

FORWARD THINKING UU UP WITH EU LEADERS

In June 2003 the European Parliament Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport commissioned a study of the educational opportunities and long-term career prospects for elite athletes in the different EU Member States.

The study looks at the provisions in place in the different Member States for the promotion and assistance of athletes within the context of secondary and third-level education. This encompasses –

· Provisions for talented young athletes at secondary school level;
· Quotas for the number of athletes admitted to universities;
· Flexibility within the university system (i.e. regarding lecture timetables, assignment deadlines, exam schedules etc.);
· Grants for former professional athletes who decide to begin or resume their third level education after a sports career;
· General support (financial and otherwise) for athletes who wish to combine professional sports careers with study.

The following examples illustrate provision within the third level education sector:

Germany
The German Sports Confederation has “cooperation agreements” with 39 German universities in order to accommodate students who wish to pursue a professional sports career while in full-time third-level education. These universities offer reduced entry criteria for athletes. Special efforts are made to promote athletes within the university system – these include flexibility in timetables, exam scheduling, excursions and practical courses. Students are also offered personal tutors and study counseling. At the moment, approximately 750 athletes are enrolled in these universities.

Greece
Legislation sets quotas for athletes who have achieved special distinctions in sport who decide to enter university. For athletes who wish to enter faculties of athletics and sports education there is a quota of 30% above the normal number of candidates admitted each year. For other faculties, the quota is 1%, again in addition to the normal number of students admitted.
In order to qualify for these quotas athletes must obtain results in the state exams that are the equivalent of the lowest results of a regular applicant to the same faculty. However they get a 10% bonus on their exam results. Athletes have the right to take up to two months leave per academic year. This leave includes absence from compulsory seminars, lectures, lab sessions etc. If an athlete’s leave happens to coincide with an examination period, his or her exam dates are postponed until after the period of leave.

Spain
According to Spanish law, a maximum of 3% of all places on regular university degree courses and 5% of places on bachelor’s degree courses in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences are assigned to high-level athletes. Athletes must meet the academic requirements for entry to these courses. There are specific legal provisions in place to facilitate athletes who wish to combine a university education with an elite sports career. The Sports Act states that educational institutions shall have regard to elite athlete status in respect both of requests for changes to timetables, groups and examinations scheduled for the same time as their sporting activities, and of the attendance requirements laid down under education legislation.

In the UK there is a notable absence of policy regarding the status of and provision for elite athletes in third level education. While in England a number of universities have reduced entry requirements for certain courses (e.g. sports related), flexibility given to athletes in lecture and exam timetables varies enormously across the sector.

In Northern Ireland there is also considerable variation between and even within educational institutions but the University of Ulster deserves considerable credit for its initiative in creating the ‘Elite Athlete Application Programme’. This programme, which is highlighted in the EU study, recognizes the sacrifices in terms of time, effort and crucially - in examination performance - which may result from the pursuit of a sport to its highest levels of competition. The Elite Athlete scheme enables the University to accept lower academic entrance requirements than normal for entry to all its full-time undergraduate courses. The programme attracts 50-60 elite athletes to the university each year.

For the future, a major step forward might be the creation of a policy statement regarding provision for elite athletes in the education sector and a requirement that institutions incorporate such a statement within their individual student charters.

It is perhaps no coincidence that some of the countries who have best provision in place have either already hosted an Olympic Games, or are just about to!

It is estimated that one in sixty adults in the UK will suffer from a cold infection this winter. Influenza, whilst not as common, will also affect 10-15% of the population. The good news for recreational athletes is that their incidence of colds and flu is lower than that of the general population. However, elite athletes are more susceptible to contracting a winter illness compared to the average individual.

Cold and flu viruses are commonly transmitted through the eyes, mouth, nose and respiratory passages and are therefore easily transferred by touch, or by contact with airborne particles that are created by coughing and sneezing. Vigorous training has also been associated with a depression of the immune system and can increase an athlete’s susceptibility to infection. Additionally, stressors such as extreme environmental conditions, poor nutrition and excessive psychological stress can have a negative impact on immune system function and increase the chances of infection.

The best method to avoid the cold or flu is to stay well clear of anyone who has the virus. Regular and thorough handwashing throughout the day will also reduce the chances of infection. Athletes need to be particularly vigilant of their window of immunosuppression, e.g during periods of long hard training. Finally, a well balanced diet with adequate energy, carbohydrate, protein, fat and micronutrient intake is of key importance in the maintenance of the immune system, and is crucial in the prevention of illness.

The source of this article is the British Olympic Association

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