Inaugural ICC Medical Committee meeting makes recommendations on anti-doping and bowling review

Committee considers a range of issues related to participant health including extreme heat and clinical issues
The ICC Medical Committee held its first-ever meeting in Dubai over the weekend.
The Committee, whose terms of reference were approved by the ICC Board last year in October, was chaired by renowned sports medicine expert Dr Peter Harcourt and also included Dr Nick Peirce, Dr Akshai Mansingh, Craig Ranson (physiotherapist) and Dr Anant Joshi as members.

The ICC Medical Committee is empowered to make recommendations which then go forward to the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) and, if required, to the ICC Board.  Both CEC and the ICC Board are scheduled to meet in Dubai from 29 June.

Dr Harcourt said: “It was a highly productive first meeting with all of the delegates contributing fully to the debates.

“There are some challenging issues on the table but it was encouraging to see that the ICC is serious about tackling some important topics that impact on the health of athletes and the integrity of the sport.

“As well as agreeing to provide leadership in several important areas, the members of the committee were very keen to promote information-sharing and greater collaboration across the sport in the areas of sports medicine and science and I look forward to helping my fellow committee members develop a strong network for the benefit of the global game.”

The following were among the issues covered by the ICC Medical Committee:

Anti-doping

The committee discussed the revisions the ICC and its Members will need to make to their anti-doping codes in light of the new WADA Code which comes into effect from 1 January 2009. In noting the ICC Full Members’ commitment to have in place WADA-compliant Codes by the middle of 2009, the committee recommended that further consideration should be given to cricket’s current testing strategies outside of major ICC events.

The committee will also review the medical aspects of the ICC’s Anti-Doping education programme to ensure the full programme is available for delivery by Members to their stakeholders before the ICC Champions Trophy 2008.

Biomechanics and illegal bowling actions

The committee debated the ICC Standard Analysis Protocols that support the ICC’s process for the review of bowlers reported with suspected illegal actions and set a timetable for the review of these protocols.  No changes will be made to the current protocols pending the outcome of this review.

Extreme-heat regulations

The committee had an extensive discussion on the impact of climatic conditions, including extreme heat. The members of the committee agreed that cricket should have a better understanding of the impact of extreme-heat conditions on players and officials and they will review the matter further before making a recommendation later this year.

Age determination

The committee members expressed strong reservations about the use of medical science in the determination of a player’s age at junior ICC events. The ICC will review its regulations in light of this.

The committee will meet annually.