Prof. Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper, President,

ICSSPE（International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education）

Over the past 50 years, ICSSPE has been supporting opportunities to promote sport science and physical education. The 2008 ICSEMIS in Guangzhou, China is another such opportunity for ICSSPE to continue its desire of developing the best avenues for professionals and academics from multiple disciplines for a global exchange of ideas and experiences in all areas of science, medicine and sport.

The partnership between ICSSPE, the IOC, the IPC and FIMS represents a new professional standard of ongoing collaboration and cooperation. With the contribution from the General Administration of Sport of China and the Guangdong Provincial Sports Administration, this Convention will showcase a level of hospitality that all delegates will remember.

Throughout this four day Convention, experts will be able to display and promote their scientific work to an international audience, while being able to engage in valuable conversations with other delegates.

I look forward to celebrating this memorable experience in ICSSPE's 50th anniversary year, prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games with attendees from all around the globe.

Prof. Dr. Walter R. Frontera, President

FIMS (International Federation of Sports Medicine)

It is a distinct pleasure and honor to welcome you to the International Convention on Science, Education, and Medicine in Sport.  The International Sports Medicine Federation (FIMS) is proud to be part of the organization effort of this Convention in a true partnership with the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, and the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education. We are very happy that for the first time all four organizations are collaborating in hosting a world-class educational event that will include an interdisciplinary program with the participation of distinguished experts and a truly international audience.  FIMS is eager to strengthen our ties with colleagues around the world who believe in the enhancement of human health through physical activity, exercise, and sports.  As President of FIMS, I also want to express my most sincere thanks to our hosts and local, regional, and national authorities in China for supporting this Convention.  We look forward to a dynamic and productive exchange of ideas.

Jacques Rogge, President

IOC (International Olympic Committee)

Dear participants,

I am very pleased to address you on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony of the International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport in Guangzhou.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, the International Federation of Sports Medicine and the International Paralympic Committee for gathering once again researchers and practitioners in sport, science, education and medicine to exchange knowledge, experience and current research.

My thanks also go to the General Administration of Sport of China and the People’s Government of Guangdong Province for their strong support and cooperation in the preparation of the Convention.

Being held just a week ahead of the celebration of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, this traditional Convention will be an excellent opportunity to identify and further develop future paths for research, development and cooperation.

As a member of the medical corps and a former team doctor myself, I know just how important it is to be informed about all the latest developments in the field of sciences applied to sport and to be able to use these to serve the athlete.

I am convinced that this Convention, thanks to the contribution of all its participants, will stimulate new ideas and lead to innovative projects for the benefit of sport.

Wish you all a fruitful Convention.

Sir Philip Craven, President

IPC (International Paralympic Committee)

The sports Movement for Paralympic athletes has changed dramatically over the last decade. With confidence I can say that there are even more changes ahead.

The vision of the International Paralympic Committee, which is “to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world”, highlights the development of all athletes from just beginning, up to the elite level, as they travel on a road to sporting excellence.

Public awareness has increased.  As more and more individuals of all ages with an impairment are finding interest in sport, various programmes and opportunities worldwide have increased in scope and number. Overall, sport has become a viable option for individuals with an impairment. China is an excellent example of this growth by both its Paralympic team that will compete in Beijing in a month’s time, and also the number of Chinese taking up Paralympic sport.

From the early 1970s, research indicated a growing interest in the further development of sport for persons with an impairment. Sport science had thus comfortably found its application in Paralympic Sport.

In 1993, during the successful VISTA 1993 Conference, the International Paralympic Committee established a Sport Science Committee, recognizing the value of sports science to the advancement of knowledge in Paralympic sports. We can now see that a lot of progress has been made over the past decade.

However, with so many expert researchers currently meeting here in Guangzhou, I would like to take the opportunity to highlight some of the prominent sport science challenges facing Paralympic Sport.

At the moment, Paralympic athletes are grouped into classes defined by the degree of function they possess. This process, called ‘classification’, ensures fair competition, and as such, is no different from the categorization by weight class, gender or age classically applied in sports. In 2007, the IPC adopted a functional classification system on the basis of scientific evidence for all Paralympic sports. This was to ensure that competitive success is only determined by strategies, skills, and the talent of the athletes. Such an approach calls for an in-depth understanding of all determinants of sport-specific performances. As this approach is multi-disciplinary and mainly sport and impairment specific, international co-operation between research teams is crucial in order to achieve a clear, unambiguous and internationally recognized classification system.

Impairment-specific responses to exercise are another area of particular interest. For example, paralysis in the case of spinal cord injury carries the risk of significant reduction of cardiac efficiency and disturbed thermo-regulation. In a sporting environment, this calls for the development of adaptation strategies which include specific metabolic response and peripheral adaptation to exercise, as well as the optimization of sports equipment. It shows the complexity of sports counseling in Paralympic sports.

Now, participation in sports comes with an associated risk of injury. Despite the growing awareness and popularity of Paralympic sports, there continues to be a limited amount of published research about the understanding of the injury patterns and risk factors for injury among elite Paralympic athletes.

Data collected during the Salt Lake 2002 Paralympic Winter Games showed an injury rate in excess of one in ten athletes in Alpine Skiing and Ice Sledge Hockey. This led to the development of rule changes, such as the use of shock absorbers and protective shells in sit skis and hockey sledges.

In the same way, a comparatively ‘routine’ shoulder overuse injury that might be a mere ‘nuisance’ for an Olympic athlete may compromise the ability of a wheelchair athlete to not only continue pursuing a sports career, but also to remain independently mobile. Consequently, the collective expertise of different disciplines needs to be brought together in the development, testing, and implementation of injury-prevention strategies.

Like Olympic athletes, Paralympic athletes must obey drug-free sport laws, without exception. Anti-doping, however, has a Paralympic-specific dimension that calls for the inclusion of experts in sport and rehabilitation medicine in the Athlete Support Team. One of the particular challenges lies in the management of Therapeutic Use Exemptions. This is when a minority of Paralympic athletes may need medication that otherwise is listed as a Prohibited Substance. It calls for an intensified educational effort on anti-doping strategies. Additionally, elevated arterial blood pressure and associated cardiovascular responses are associated with enhanced physical performance and are likely to voluntarily occur in athletes with high spinal cord lesions. This demands careful monitoring processes similar to the development of a biological athlete passport.

Another challenge in the Paralympic-specific segment of anti-doping is the development of advanced technological equipment, such as osteo-integrated prostheses. While it is acknowledged that this kind of human body–running device is beneficial from a biomechanical point of view, it can give rise to an ethical debate.

Paralympic Sport is the outcome of strong desires and dreams, and most practically, what people have made out of those strong desires and dreams. Each one of today’s Paralympic athletes started from somewhere: in the back garden with family and friends, at school with peers and teachers, or in the local sport club. A major success of the Athens 2004 and Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games was the National Education Programme that targeted primary and secondary school students. The result was a strong belief that success in the Paralympic Games was success in sport, and at least equal to success in the Olympic Games.  The programme’s goal of educating youth about Paralympic Sport was reached and therefore continues to create awareness and understanding about ALL persons in society.

As you can see, the challenges in Paralympic sports are multi-disciplinary. They call for a co-operative approach by researchers, working together with the relevant International Sports Federations that administer Paralympic Sport and support Paralympic athletes.

ICSEMIS is unique in its gathering of expertise that was previously spread over multiple conferences. The close co-operation of researchers from Olympic sports with experts in Paralympic sports has the added value of transfer of knowledge about sports, disciplines and athlete profiles. This ultimately may answer any questions from the athletes or their coaches. All of the above will be addressed in the upcoming days during symposia and scientific presentations.

I want to extend an invitation to all of you to join those sessions. You will be able to actively contribute to gaining more knowledge in working toward achieving success with Paralympic athletes - “to achieve sporting excellence and inspire and excite the world”.

In finishing, I also want to invite as many of you as possible to experience
Paralympians in action at the XIII Paralympic Games starting on the 6th
September in Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong.

Message From:

Ms. LIU Yandong

Member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee, Member of the State Council and Vice President of BOGOC

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

On the occasion of the opening of 2008 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport (2008 ICSEMIS) in Guangdong, China and on behalf of the Chinese Government, I would like to congratulate on the Convention and welcome all the delegates from home and abroad.

ICSEMIS is an international convention on sports sciences, physical education and medicine of the highest standard, the largest scale and the most importance. It is the first time for ICSSPE, FIMS, IOC and IPC to host the milestone event-2008 ICSEMIS. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the hosts and organizers for the preparations.

The Convention theme is “Sport Sciences and Harmonious Society in the 21^st Century”. The theme follows the trend as sports could bring the health, the pleasure, the harmony and the hope. Most of the participants have been contributing to the development of sports and sports science. The Chinese government pays a lot of attention to sports development and we wish all of us will work together to promote the development of the sports science and a harmonious society.

I am confident that the Convention will progress the development of the world sports science, to Beijing Olympic Games and to the Olympic promotion.

May a great success of the 2008 ICSEMIS!

I wish all the participants a happy stay in Guangdong.

Mr. LIU Peng,

President of Chinese Olympic Committee

Minister of General Administration of Sport of China

Dear Prof. Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper, Prof. Dr. Walter Frontera, Mr. Arne Ljungqvist, Sir Philip Craven,

Dear Mr. HUANG Huahua,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good Afternoon!

The 2008 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport (2008 ICSEMIS) is now open in Guangzhou, China as the prelude to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Game. This year, the 2008 ICSEMIS provides a unique opportunity for over 2000 scholars and professionals representing 70 countries and regions from every corner of the world to gather in the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Centre and to exchange the latest scientific research and best practice solutions. On behalf of the Chinese Olympic Committee, the General Administration of Sport of China and the Organizing Committee of 2008 ICSEMIS, I warmly welcome all delegates and guests and cordially congratulate the opening of the Convention!

For 2008 ICSEMIS, four international organizations- the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) join forces unprecedentedly to present a highest level of international convention of sport sciences. To be held in China, this Convention will also enhance the development of all fields in the country.

Themed “Sport Sciences and Harmonious Society in the 21^st Century”, the Convention earmarks the meaning of further development of sport and sport science for the benefit of people all over the world. 2,148 out of the 3,616 submitted abstracts were accepted to present on this Convention, including 876 overseas and 1272 domestic abstracts. In regards of both submitted and accepted abstracts, representing countries and regions as well as academic quality, this Convention demonstrates the highest level of sport sciences in the international community nowadays.

During the four-day Convention program, scholars and practitioners of sport sciences from all over the world will gather together to exchange ideas on sport sciences in the harmonious society. This will enrich the essence of “High-Tech Olympic” and preserve cultural heritage and rich treasures to the international Olympics.

As a member of the Olympic Family, the Chinese Olympic Committee will consistently support the Olympics, spread the Olympic culture, promote the Olympic spirit, and enhance Olympic sports in China become the motivation of world peace and development.

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s wish a successful Convention!

Thank you very much!