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elite sports interview safeguarding sports and society

SEMS Congress safeguarding roundtable Interlaken, October 27th 2023

All members of the panel introduced their organization and activities in short presentations, which were followed by a 75-minute discussion moderated by Joëlle Flück (Swiss Sports Nutrition Society president, and Health4Sport Board member) and Boris Gojanovic (Sport & Exercise Medicine Switzerland president, and Health4Sport Board member). This article is a transcription of the debate, and all statements have been revised and approved by the participants.

safeguarding sports physiotherapy team management

Safeguarding in sports physiotherapy

Sports physiotherapists work in very close contact with athletes, both on and off the field of play. In this challenging sporting context, they often have to find a balance between pushing the limits in rehabilitation/training and staying within the limits of a safe and ethical proper management of the athletes. Sports physiotherapists have also access to a unique perspective of behaviours not only of the athlete, but of all other individuals interacting with the athlete.

antidoping elite sports governance safeguarding sports and society

Safeguarding in Swiss Sport

In the fall of 2020, various publications of research into abuse and malpractice in Swiss sport caused consternation. As a result, on January 1, 2022, the Antidoping Switzerland Foundation was transformed into the Swiss Sport Integrity Foundation.

elite sports governance safeguarding sports medicine

Safeguarding in Swiss sport – Why is everything going so slowly?

A lot of valuable work is done in Swiss sport. This is one of the main reasons why our athletes are able to repeatedly achieve success at the Olympic Games, World and European Championships in the elite and junior categories. However, sport also has its dark sides, one of which concerns abuse in all its possible forms. Scientific studies conducted over the last three years have shown that the proportion of people affected in Switzerland is in line with the alarmingly high figures from surveys conducted abroad. The numerous reports received by Swiss Sport Integrity’s ethics reporting office, which has been active since January 2022, can only underline this fact.

elite sports Mental health safeguarding testimony

The story of how I suffered as an athlete and what I would have needed

I was a top-level athlete for 6 years between the ages of 12 and 18. I practiced rhythmic gymnastics as part of a team, and on the surface everything seemed to be going well. We took part in world championships and achieved good results. As the years went by, my condition deteriorated until it became unbearable, leading me to stop my sport for good. This was followed by serious consequences and long years of reconstruction, which I am detailing below. In the end, these years of top-level sport have taken their toll on me, and I would like to share with you some of the factors which, in my opinion, predisposed me to fragility:

editorial governance safeguarding

Editorial 1-2024 – Together we stand, divided we fall

The Swiss abuse in sport scandal is now almost four years old. That is a long time, one might say. It probably depends on the point of view. To an athlete experiencing breaches of safeguarding in his or her daily sporting environment, this will most definitely feel like a lifetime. To sports federations, this timeline may be more familiar and acceptable, akin to an Olympic cycle. What is it to you?

exercise is medicine

Chronotype, sleep, and perceived exertion during intermittent fasting in young athletes

During intermittent fasting of Ramadan, research has shown a modification in athletes’ sleep habits and lifestyle. As a result, these changes might affect a range of chronobiological and psychological parameters. Thus, the present study explores the effect of intermittent fasting during Ramadan and circadian preference on sleep patterns and perception after aerobic exercise.