Congress Invite

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Official Invitation & Notification of the TWIF Congress 2014

Orfordville 10^th, November 2013

To:       All Members of TWIF

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Tug of War International Federation, your Tug of War Association/Federation is hereby invited to attend the:

Annual TWIF Congress and Seminar,

Belfast, Northern Ireland

11th &12th of April 2014

The 2014 Annual TWIF Congress will be held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the Ramada Plaza Hotel.

Each member Association is allowed 3 persons to attend the Seminar and 2 persons to attend the Congress. Unless otherwise stated by the congress.

The Seminar will be on Friday the 11^th of April and the Congress on Saturday the 12^th of April.

Mr. Anton Rabe, Treasurer of TWIF, will inform you on the accommodation in the very near future. Participants in the congress should contact the Northern Ireland Tug of War Association for the easiest way to travel to Belfast.

In order to obtain a Visa, participating Member Associations/Federations may require an invitation for the Congress and Seminar direct from the Host Country.  In case you need such a special invitation please contact the Northern Ireland Tug of War Association, address listed below:

Mr. Hugh McFetridge: E-mail: remcfetridge@hotmail.com

Mr. David Wilson: E-mail: wilson13271@btinternet.com

1. Each member is invited to send the Secretary Proposals and Questions to be put on the agenda for the congress.  All proposals and questions must be in the hands of the Secretary on or before January 1, 2014.

2.  Any member intending to tender for a future championship must submit their tender to the Secretary no later than January 1, 2014.   Championship dates open for tendering are listed below:

·        2018 World Indoor

·        2019 European Outdoor

                                               

Presentation of the tenders will be made following the TWIF Seminar on Friday.

3.  The TWIF Seminar: The Seminar will take place on the Friday before congress. Subject matter for the Seminar will be included with the Agenda for Congress.

4. 2013/2014 Reporting Form: Please find attached the 2013/2014 Annual reporting form. Please fill out the form and return it to the secretary no later than January 1, 2014.

5. New members:  Any national tug of war association applying for membership to TWIF please contact the TWIF ExCo to ensure your application can be ready for congress.                                                        

Kindest regards,

Glen Johnson

Secretary General of TWIF

TWIF Medical Report

I have been asked to comment on various practices of Tug of War athletes in the run up to major competitions.  I do so as a general medical practitioner having had some discussion with Sports nutritionists and Sports Medicine physicians.  My comments will be general comments on the pros and cons of these practices. 

The Specific activities addressed are:

1.    Diet restriction to reduce weight

2.    Use of nutritional supplements

3.    Fluid restriction to reduce weight

4.    Use of sauna to reduce weight

DIET RESTRICTION

Eating less can reduce weight however it stresses the body and starvation leads to the increase of the hormone cortisol which can encourage the body to maintain weight.  It also can lead to the loss of muscle mass when the objective should be to lose fat weight. 

In general athletes should take a well-balanced diet primarily carbohydrates (up to 60% of energy) fat and protein.  It is further recommended that carbohydrates should be mainly from a group regarded as complex carbohydrates e.g. bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and vegetables.

USE OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

The use of these supplements particularly protein supplements is thought to have the potential to cause kidney damage, osteoporosis and digestive problems especially if used long term.  Realistically 500mls of skimmed milk or milk powder daily are an adequate source of protein supplement.

A further problem with supplements is level of regulation of them, with a potential for an athlete to consume a banned substance.

The National Athletic Trainer’s Association [based in the US] published a Position statement in 2013 – Evaluation of Dietary Supplements for Performance Nutrition.  Several extracts of note:

“Athletes can be vulnerable to the misinformation and risk in terms of safety, legality and efficiency of dietary supplements and should not assume a product is safe simply because it is marketed over the counter.”

“Current regulations do not require supplement manufactures to provide evidence of safety.”

“Consider proper nutrition and changes in habitual diet first.”

“Do not forget to prioritise a healthy diet over dietary supplements to support performance.”

FLUID RESTRICTION

Fluid restriction to lose weight leads to dehydration which has a number of serious side effects.  These risks are intensified if athletes undertake several days of intense fluid restriction.  Dehydration leads to the loss of essential body components (e.g. sodium and potassium).  Consequently dehydration can lead to a rise in blood pressure and heart rate.  The loss of sodium and potassium can affect the functioning of the heart and potentially lead to sudden death.

USE OF SAUNA TO REDUCE WEIGHT

Intensive use of sauna can lead to dehydration.  As mentioned above this can have ill effects on heart functioning.  Ultimately this will have negative effects on performance. A good level of hydration is essential for health and wellbeing.

My research has revealed evidence that the use of sauna for weight loss has potential detrimental effects on health and performance.Consequently should be limited and used in moderation.However no evidence was found supporting the idea of banning such practice.

It should be noted that horse racing facilities have removed sauna facilities from their establishments to try and minimise the risky activity of intense sauna use.  Equally the sport of boxing has moved to discourage boxers from partaking in this activity. 

E.P. BECKETT MB FRCGP