GAA Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee 2015 Update.

Originally posted on the 17th December 2015.

On Wednesday, the GAA published their Medical, Scientific and Welfare committee update for 2015. The main topics covered under the report was the proposal to introduce a blood substitute for players suspected of suffering from concussion and the introduction of testing blood samples for prohibited substances.

Anti-Doping. 

The biggest topic of discussion has been the introduction of blood testing for prohibited substances and performance enhancing drugs (PED'S). The GAA do already test players for these substances by way of urine samples but from January 1st as part of the 2016 Anti-Doping Programme in conjunction with Sport Ireland, they will begin also testing blood samples. According to Ger Ryan, the chairman of the Medical, Scientific and Welfare committee, blood testing is being introduced as "the GAA could not afford to be complacent in terms of the integrity of its games and that the testing programme was designed to ensure a level playing field for all GAA players." He added that "the main focus of this in 2016 would be on senior inter-county panels and support personnel." 

According to the document released by the GAA on their website, Blood samples will now be used as it is harder to detect certain prohibited substances through urine tests alone. Players refusing to take part in a blood test can expect to a receive " a period of ineligibility of up to four years from sport."  It outlines the procedure for getting your blood tested and if you have a phobia of needles, to inform the team doctor at the start of the season so appropriate arrangements can be made. The full report on this can be seen here.

Concussion.

Last December, the Oireachtas Joint-Committee on Health and Children published a report on Concussion in Sport in Ireland. One of the proposals that was raised from that report was for the sporting bodies in Ireland, the FAI, the IRFU and the GAA to relax the rule around using substitutes for players suffering with concussion. The committee spoke at the press release how players feel burdened to continue to play as on as the effects of a concussion are not always immediately obvious and they feel its not worth using up a sub for this purpose. "The Taskforce should: - make recommendations on rule changes in specific sporting disciplines in order to minimize the impact of sports-related concussion. For example, the Taskforce should consider measures to relax rules on substitution for concussed players." 

The Medical, Scientific and Welfare board considered this issue and have concluded that  "A concussion sub and side-line assessment would contradict these guidelines which are based on international best practice and approved by the MSW Committee." They propose that the Cumann Luthchleas Gael (CLG) should 

1. 1) CLG should not introduce a concussion sub.
2. The current concussion guidelines continue to apply with ongoing monitoring and review by the MSW Committee.
3.  The focus of CLG with regard to Concussion should be the continued education of all members of the association.

The report outlines that if there is any doubt that a concussion may have taken place, that the player should be immediately removed from play. It also added that there is not necessary in having a pitch side assessment to see if a player should return to the field of play as the symptoms of a concussion may not always be immediately obvious to the person assessing.

In closing they also suggested that having a third party doctor is not always in the players interest as "The MSW Committee also consider that the introduction of an independent doctor is unnecessary given our high levels of confidence in the professionalism, integrity and independence of the team doctors who carry out their duties in the best interest of our players and their welfare. A further point to consider is that diagnosis of concussion is significantly assisted by knowing the player, knowing his medical history and knowing how he will react in certain situations. The team doctor is clearly in the best position to judge this."  

The December 2014 report by the Oireachtas committee did allude to this point that a pitch side assessment might give an incorrect diagnosis but they still put it forward so that teams wouldn't be essentially penalized for a player suffering a concussion. On the flip side of that argument is because the concussion is not always obvious and the player may not feel like they are injured, they may wish to continue out of comradery, so they don't feel like they are letting their team down. What the committee is suggesting is the better education of players, particularly of the risk of second impact syndrome so that players know themselves the risks of going back on the field and will know that even if they feel they are letting their teams down, that that felling is not worth the risk of further injuring yourself or worse, death.

The full report from the GAA Medical, Scientific and Welfare Committee on this can be viewed here. 

The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children Report into Concussion can be seen here.