Foraying into territory which the Indian sports officialdom had never ventured before, the Lakshmi Bai National College for Physical Education, Kariavattom, the academic wing of Sports Authority of India (SAI), will convene a national conference on ‘Role of traditional medical systems in enhancing performance of sportspersons.’ The conference, slated for September 5, will draw experts in various medical systems like Unani, Naturopathy, Ayurveda, Siddha and methods like yoga, acupuncture and reflexology.
The findings at the conference and inter-system discussions, if found satisfactory, would be recommended for further research to the headquarters of SAI.
The conference holds significance as the sports-related bodies have started serious discussions on preparations for 2016 Olympics well ahead of time.
The national sports administrators have identified research in sports medicine as a weak point in the Indian sports scene which had not been duly addressed.
It is in this backdrop that the conference is being organised. Experts in various medical systems and other practices like yoga are expected to provide a comprehensive idea on the feasibility of respective systems in enhancing performance of sportspersons and also in treating sports injuries.
‘’By organising the conference we are aiming at providing a platform for persons representing various medical systems to explain before a panel of scientists and doctors the importance of their systems in relation to sports. As of now, SAI is not endorsing any particular medical system but if some fruitful idea evolve from the conference, we will recommend it to the headquarters for further research,’’ said Dr George Mathews, assistant professor, who is in charge of organising the conference.
According to the officials of SAI Kariavattom centre, alternative medical systems have the potential to treat many sports injuries. They can also play a major role in enhancing the performance of sportspersons. But the hurdle for the athletes in using them is that there is currently no research facility in the country to scientifically detect presence of any banned substance in the medical preparations.
‘’Many leading sporting nations have been making use of methods like acupuncture and reflexology in treating injuries. But we are lagging behind in using these methods as we don’t have the research facility to test the claims of experts on the usefulness of their medical systems. So we will analyse the outcome of the conference and would see whether the result could be forwarded to the apex body,’’ Dr George said.
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