Pregnancy and exercise key considerations for administrators

Report 4 Downloads 87 Views
Pregnancy and exercise – key considerations for administrators Responding to the issue Check if your sport has a policy to guide you in dealing with this issue. Your sport should provide assistance in how to respond to this matter. Some General guidelines •

Respect and support the rights of women who wish to continue exercising while pregnant.



Explain that the organisation has responsibilities such as preventing discrimination in sport and taking reasonable care to ensure the continuing safety, health and wellbeing of all participants.



Advise participants that there may be potential risks involved and the primary concern is about the health and wellbeing of the unborn children.



consider providing participants with general information about exercise in pregnancy and guidelines that catergorise sport according to the level of safety for the pregnant athlete. This should come from a reputable source like Sports Medicine Australia http://www.sma.org.au



Avoid giving advice that you are not qualified to give (e.g. about the medical risks to an particular individual), and encourage pregnant athletes to obtain and act on professional medical advice, particularly about the risks of continuing to play and when to stop.



Consider asking the pregnant women to sign a legal disclaimer form but understand that a mother cannot sign a disclaimer on behalf of an unborn child.



Seek professional medical or legal advice when necessary and ensure that this advice is available to coaches and officials when required.

Risk management •

Be aware of relevant federal, and state or territory anti-discrimination legislation and occupational, health and safety legislation and how it affects your organisation and sport.

Play by the Rules is supported by the Australian, state and territory governments. The information on Play by the Rules is not intended as a substitute for legal or other professional advice. © Play by the Rules www.playbytherules.net.au September 2016

Pregnancy and exercise – key considerations for administrators



Evaluate and have in place policies and measures to limit the likelihood of pregnant participants being harmed and take reasonable care to ensure that such measures are carried out. Sports need to assess their risk for inquiry for all their members. SMA has information about how to prevent injuries in specific sports. http://sma.org.au/resources-advice/sport-fact-sheets/



Ensure that policies are in place to outline the organisation's commitment to equal opportunity and avoiding discrimination, particularly where pregnant women are concerned, and review the rules and regulations, and the organisation's constitution, with this in mind.



Ensure that everyone in your organisation understands these policies and commitments. it is important that the policies are continually updated.

Depending on the sport consider developing a statement about the participation of pregnant athletes in your sport. Elements of a statement could include that the sport will: •

Provide general information about exercise in pregnancy guidelines that categorise the sport according to level of safety for the pregnant athlete.



Advise participants that there may be risks involved.



Advise participants to obtain medical advice.



Advice about those risks.



Encourage participants to be aware that their own health, and the wellbeing of their unborn children are of utmost importance in their decision about whether to continue playing sport.



Provide a clear statement containing this advice in the registration form for your sport or competition, or in similar documents, and display a similar notice in a prominent place where all will see it.



Ensure that coaches select participants on the basis of merit and capability.



Ensure that insurance policies are up to date and provide appropriate cover.



Seek legal advice when necessary.

You can download Sports Medicine Australia’s brochure on Pregnancy and Exercise here http://play-by-the-rules.s3.amazonaws.com/Fact_sheets/SMA_AWiS_Pregnancy__Exercise.pdf In addition, Sports Medicine Australia Position Statement on Pregnancy outlines the benefits and risks of exercise during pregnancy. You can download the Position Statement here http://play-by-the-rules.s3.amazonaws.com/Fact_sheets/SMA_pregnancystatement.pdf

Play by the Rules www.playbytherules.net.au

2