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FEI addresses Olympic Sports Federations’ medical chiefs on equine injury surveillance

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LAUSSANE, (FEI) – Yves Rossier, Vice Chair of the FEI Veterinary Committee, delivered a presentation on equine injury surveillance at the annual International Olympic Sports Federations’ Medical Commission Chairpersons conference held at the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) yesterday.

The Canadian, who was head of the Olympic Veterinary Clinic in Greenwich Park at the London 2012 Olympic Games, took a year’s sabbatical leave from his work as Professor of Equine Sports Medicine at the University of Montreal to complete a study on Injury Surveillance in FEI Horses.

The FEI-funded study on equine injuries also involved analysis of the approaches taken by other sports regulators, including the IOC, International Federations and horseracing authorities. One of the key objectives of the study was to review injury surveillance programmes (human and equine) in order to fine-tune the existing FEI protocol and introduce an improved model for FEI events.

The FEI has been collecting basic injury data from its events for some time, and is currently developing a comprehensive database specifically for equine athletes. The main purpose of the database, once sufficient statistics have been collected, will be to help in the prevention of injuries. Similar databases are used in other global sports.

“The conference was a wonderful opportunity to hear what the other International Sports Federations are doing about injury surveillance, and to present the FEI’s approach so that we could all learn from each other,” Professor Rossier said. “This is part of making sports as safe as possible and maintaining our absolute commitment to the welfare of our athletes.”

IOC President Jacques Rogge also addressed the conference, stressing the importance of the role played by International Federation Medical Commissions and their contribution to safety in sport.

More than 30 International Federations were represented at the meeting, which was opened by IOC Medical Commission Chairman, Professor Arne Ljungqvist. Dr Patrick Schamasch, who is retiring from his post as IOC Medical Director, took the opportunity to introduce his successor, Richard Budgett (GBR).

Peter Whitehead, Acting Chair of the FEI Medical Committee and Chief Medical Officer for the Olympic equestrian events at Greenwich Park, also addressed the conference yesterday, and spoke afterwards about the value of such gatherings. “This is the only meeting where sports medical commissions get together to compare their concerns and learn from each other. It’s a very valuable meeting,” he said.

The IOC is currently working on producing standardised injury surveillance for use by the different sports bodies. The FEI Medical Committee has been involved in discussions on this issue with the IOC over the past year.

2013 FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List in effect from 1 January

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LAUSANNE, (FEI) – The FEI Equine Prohibited Substance List for 2013, which has now been approved by the FEI Bureau, will come into force on 1 January 2013.

Following a period of consultation with the National Federations, the FEI List Group held its most recent meeting during the London 2012 Paralympics and signed off changes to the List for 2013. The changes include the addition of five new substances and other amendments.

The changes, which will be included in the 2013 List and will come into effect on 1 January of next year, are summarised here and below:

  • Five new substances have been added to the List for 2013. These are the Controlled Medication substances Cyclosporin, a systemic immunosuppressant; Tropicamide, which affects the central nervous system and has a potential for abuse; Pitcher Plant preparation (Sarapin), which is reputed to have analgesic properties, a potential to affect performance and its use is considered to be a welfare concern; Delmadinone acetate and Chlormadinone acetate, synthetic steroidal progestins that decrease testosterone concentration and have the potential to affect performance;
  • Fentanyl and Morphine (analgesics), both of which are currently classified as Banned Substances, will be moved to the Controlled Medication section of the List in 2013 due to their increasingly common legitimate use in equine medicine;
  • Suxibuzone, which converts to Phenylbutazone in the body and is currently listed as Phenylbutazone, will be listed separately under Controlled Medications;
  • Deslorelin, which was categorised as a Controlled Medication substance in the 2012 List, will be removed from the 2013 List.

“The FEI List Group seeks to use the most up-to-date scientific research and information as part of its ongoing review of the Prohibited Substances List,” said Graeme Cooke, FEI Veterinary Director.

“The National Federations and all the Veterinarians involved in our sport are very much a part of the consultation process and all comments received on the initial suggested changes, which were first proposed in April of this year, were discussed by the List Group prior to the changes being finalised.

“Publishing the changes to the List 90 days in advance, in accordance with our rules, means that the National Federations and their athletes will have plenty of time to familiarise themselves with the changes well ahead of the 2013 Equine Prohibited Substances List coming into force on 1 January next year.”

The 2013 Equine Prohibited Substance List will be accessible prior to 1 January 2013 on the FEI Clean Sport website. Additionally, information is now available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database, which is free to download for Smartphones.