Irish News
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Over 60 Tyrone footballers and hurlers were the latest players to undergo the Gaelic Players Association’s cardiac screening initiative, which is being provided to all county squads across the country over the coming months.
As part of the GPA’s Health and Wellbeing Programme, all county players are entitled to be screened and the mobile screening unit has visited no fewer than 38 county squads all over the country since the initiative got underway earlier this year.
The death of Tyrone star Cormac McAnallen in 2004 thrust the issue of sudden cardiac death to the fore in Irish sport and led to the provision of automated external defibrillators in many sports clubs throughout the country.
It also highlighted the need to promote cardiac screening for young athletes.
The GAA’s medical and scientific committee subsequently carried out an extensive body of work in this area and issued a number of recommendations for the screening process.
Given that up to 100 young people (those aged under 35 years) die each year in Ireland from sudden adult death syndrome, it also recommended that all players should be screened.
In line with the GAA’s medical and scientific committee’s cardiac proposals, the Gaelic Players Association, in conjunction with the mobile cardiac screening service Heartaid is providing the screening facilities for each squad.
The cardiac screening programme is funded by the GPA and is seen as a critical welfare component of the association’s player development programme.
The development programme, which is supported by the GAA, provides a comprehensive suite of support services for inter-county GAA players in both hurling and football int eh areas of their career development, education, health and well-being, life skills and the issue of benevolent support.