1 Oct 2014, 11:51
Addressing the implications of concussion in sport will be on the agenda of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children tomorrow, Thursday, 2nd October 2014 when it meets with a number of medical experts and representatives from sports organisations and interest groups.
The schedule for the meeting is:
Session A: 9.30 a.m.
Professor Michael Molloy, Consultant Rheumatologist; Dr Michael Farrell, Consultant Neuropathologist, Beaumont Hospital; Professor John Ryan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, St Vincent's University Hospital; Dr Éanna Falvey, Director of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Sports Surgery Clinic; and Dr Padraig Sheeran, Dean of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI); and
Session B: 11.30 a.m.
Barbara O'Connell, CEO, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland; Karen O’Boyle, Communications Manager, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland; Mr. Rory O’Carroll, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland Champion; Dr Alan Byrne, Irish Senior Soccer Team Medical Specialist, FAI; Ruud Dokter High Performance Director, FAI; and Dr Adrian McGoldrick, Senior Medical Adviser, The Turf Club/Irish Jockeys Association.
Committee Chairman, Jerry Buttimer TD said: “With sports increasingly being played at faster speeds and with greater physical intensity, at both professional and amateur levels, the number of concussions in sports has increased and the issue has become very prominent, with many in the sporting and the medical worlds expressing concern. According to Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, concussion is the third most common match day injury. Concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury and all concussions are serious. It is important that we have a cohesive strategy to deal with the issue. Tomorrow we will address the implications of concussion in sport in greater detail when we will meet with a number of medical experts along with representatives from sports organisations and interest groups. The aim of this meeting is to prepare a report with recommendations for the future development of training, protocols and support systems for players. As a result, this will assist in preventing serious injury from concussion in sporting activities.”
This meeting will start in Committee Room 2, Leinster House at 9.30am tomorrow, Thursday, 2nd October 2014.
Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.
Media Enquiries to:
Ciaran Brennan,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
Committee Membership:
Deputies: Jerry Buttimer (Chair), Catherine Byrne, Ciara Conway (Vice-Chair), Regina Doherty, Robert Dowds, Peter M Fitzpatrick, Seamus Healy, Billy Kelleher, Eamonn Maloney, Clare Daly, Sandra McLellan, Dan Neville, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin and Robert Troy
Senators: Colm Burke, John Crown, John Gilroy, Imelda Henry, Marc Mac Sharry and Jillian Van Turnhout