Is there such thing as 'high risk sports'?
The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) mission is to lead and enable a united high performance (HP) system that supports Australian athletes/teams to achieve podium success.
Is there such thing as 'high risk sports'?
Three categories of sports, defined as aesthetically judged, gravitational and weight class, are consistently identified as high risk for the development of DE and EDs. Successful performance in these sports generally involves individual, or combinations of, features such as low body mass, leanness, high power to weight ratio, subjective judgements on appearance and rapid weight loss for weigh-ins. It should be remembered however that athletes are at risk of DE and ED across all sports and these high-risk categories are neither exclusive nor exhaustive.
Weight sensitive sport categories | Examples |
|---|---|
Aesthetically judged sports | Rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, figure skating, dancing, diving, body building, cheerleading and synchronised swimming. |
Gravitational sports (higher bodyweight may restrict performance because moving body against gravity is an essential part of the sport) | Long distance running, cross-country skiing, road cycling, mountain biking, ski jumping and jumps events in athletics. |
Weight class sports | Horse racing (jockeys), lightweight rowing, weightlifting, and combat sports such as wrestling, martial arts (judo, taekwondo) and boxing |