Are sports clubs needlessly putting professional athletes at risk?

Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) is questioning whether elite sport clubs are threatening the health of athletes through the use of non-accredited sports scientists.

Last night's ABC 7:30 Report (Thursday 18th April) suggested that the Melbourne football club's high-performance program is the latest to be influenced by a non-accredited 'sports scientist' whose practices push the boundaries of legality, based on little or no evidence in humans.

This led Professor David Bishop, a board member of Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) and Research Leader, Sport at Victoria University, to state "why must our professional sports players be subject to a double standard imposed by sports bodies, when these athletes' performances, careers and indeed, their lives are potentially at risk?"

Bishop then continued:

"For the good of their players, professional sporting clubs employ a wide range of sports-medicine experts. All of these experts including sports physicians, doctors, physiotherapists and dietitians are regulated by external, independent bodies, with the glaring exception of 'sports scientists'.

"The vast majority of sports scientists working with professional sports codes have no independent body overseeing their qualifications and professional standards. What's more, the governing sports bodies are adamantly opposed to having such an independent body in place. Why the resistance? Why are they afraid of independent regulation?

"Sports clubs are happy to expose their prized assets their athletes, worth millions to the clubs to sport science professionals who may not hold appropriate qualifications. These unregulated sports scientists are not bound by professional standards, scope of practice and a code of conduct and ethical practice, nor do they have requirements for continual professional development.

"Truly, a double standard is in place. The time has come for an overarching authority to oversee sports science in professional sports. An independent regulator for the sports science profession allows for:

Standards being set for the profession;

A framework for enforcing appropriate standards;

Confidence for athletes and clubs in their sports scientists;

Protection of title, across all jurisdictions and sectors; and

Assurance that those working as sports scientists are 'fit to practice' as sports scientists."

ESSA, the self-regulating professional body for sports scientists in Australia, has been calling for compulsory accreditation for over two decades and our robust accreditation system has been in place for nearly a quarter of a century and has attracted over 3,700 members.

Bishop concluded "as a single regulator, ESSA would deliver benefits to both sports and government bodies. We can offer a clear definition of 'sports scientist'; the lack of clarity at present leads to confusion for sports, athletes, governments, agencies and employers.

"Our regulation structure also provides recognition of qualifications, minimum entry standards, assurance of practice standards, a code of conduct and ethics and an avenue for complaints.

"Yet sports clubs have paid no credence to our recommendations.

"Let's not wait for another exposé on clubs allegedly caught enhancing players' performance via unregulated methods. It's time to expedite the implementation of a unified solution to support the professional players we hold in such high regard."

For more information go to

http://www.essa.org.au