ESSA welcomes Green's inclusion of regulation for sports scientists

Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) has welcomed the Australian Green's move to regulate the sports science profession so as to help clean up Australian sport.

Professor David Bishop, a board director of Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) and Research Leader for Sport at the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), Victoria University, issued the statement below following the Australian Green's announcement of anti-doping reforms aimed at protecting Australia's athletes.

Professor Bishop stated:

"As Australia's premier accreditation body for sports scientists, Exercise & Sports Science Australia has long been calling for political reforms to protect both professional athletes and the broader sports science industry.

"We are thrilled with the Australian Green's announcement ... of reforms that would make formal accreditation through ESSA a precondition for employment as a sports scientist within Australia.

"The well-publicised doping scandals that have rocked the Australian sporting world in recent months have highlighted the considerable influence that sports scientists have over athletes' training regimes, yet they remain the only members of high-performance teams that are not required to be accredited or registered by a professional body or national regulator.

"It is our belief that a compulsory accreditation system for sports scientists particularly those that work with elite athletes should be instated by the government. Anything less is a neglect of the duty of care that we owe to our athletes.

"We strongly encourage the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition to back the Green's recommendation for a national and independent accreditation program that is administered by ESSA and has broad industry support.

"We look forward to working with the Australian Greens to review our accreditation system that outlines strict ethical guidelines, sets appropriate benchmarks for education and industry experience and ensures employers that accredited sports scientists have the necessary skills and qualifications to competently advise athletes in a knowledgeable and ethical manner. The new system will safeguard athletes and incorporate measures to ensure their health is not placed at risk."

For more information about ESSA go to www.essa.org.au

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