The link to TSA website article: http://www.triathlonsa.co.za/Public/ViewNews.aspx?id=725
Good day
Hereby my response to the TSA website bulletin regarding the
investigation by the Medical Commission relating to the recent deaths in
Triathlon and proposed plans to but safety issues in place.
I appreciate the effort TSA is putting in to prevent future
deaths in triathlon races, especially due to heart related issues, but I
believe that the new proposal to implement a rule that one must qualify at an
Olympic distance race before participating in an endurance triathlon event
would not add value or prevent future deaths. In my view this will only enrich
race organizers and put a financial burden on athletes to enter races of which
entry fees are already very high.
I am a competitive endurance athlete who have done six
Ironman events and also completed in more than a dozen half Ironman events over
the past seven years. This year alone I have done two half Ironman races and
two Xterra off-road triathlons. I specialize in long distance triathlons and do
not compete in sprint or Olympic distance races. In the majority of these
endurance events over the past couple of years I have finished in the top ten
of my age group and have also competed in the Ironman World Championships in
2009.
My reasoning behind
this is that I suffered a heart attack just after finishing my last race
(Xterra Grabouw, 24 February)
I would propose that in order to "qualify" to do
an endurance triathlon an athlete would need to produce a doctor's certificate
after completing a medical/physical exam to clear the athlete to participate in
such an event.
In my case this wouldn't have help as they still don't know
what caused the heart attack as I don't have a heart condition, history, any
medical condition or high cholesterol but in many instances through an exam,
ECG, etc. it may be determined if an athlete do have a medical defect and if
such athlete will be capable to participate in an Ironman race.
Most athlete’s do have a medical aid and this won’t put any
additional financial strain on the athlete. One might see a drop in
participating numbers but it might just save a live or two and might make a
specific athlete aware of a medical condition they might have.
One might consider the following criteria whereby an athlete
must qualify for an Ironman event by doing a Half Ironman distance race as
there is a huge jump from a half distance race to the full but to do an Olympic
distance race to qualify for a Half Ironman distance race won’t prevent deaths
in my opinion.
Regards
Johan Stemmet
