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Gold medal in sports medicine
Ed Yeates
KSL-TV
The athletes are not the only ones getting gold medals.The International Olympic Commitee has presented a special medal to a man from Denmark who has changed the course of sports medicine.
The prize was given by the President of the I.O.C. during special ceremonies at Olympic Village. Ed Yeates, has more.
Amid a flurry of cameras and reporters, the president of the IOC presented the gold medal for sports science to a physician from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
Dr. Bengt Saltin changed the course of sports medicine more than four decades ago when he theorized rest and relaxation did more harm to injured Olympic athletes than if they moved about and exercised immediately.
Ridiculous to think otherwise today, but back in the 60's, the concept was revolutionary.
Now, the standard is practiced worldwide.
The medal, called the Olympic Prize on Sport Sciences, was presented jointly by the IOC and the Pfizer Corporation. The prize also carries a $500-thousand dollar award to help Saltin's team continue its work.
Dr. Saltin says, "This means so much for the sports science community that there is a prize of this high degree."
Dr. Saltin's team in Denmark is now searching for ways to activate genes in connective tissues and muscles to speed up performance and the healing process even more. Part of the theory involves regulating oxygen flow to muscles, and the use of a special diet which might trigger those genes.
"We're talking about when to ingest the special diet that's best for the athlete in relation to when they train."
Timing is critical not only after an injury but during routine training. Dr. Saltin says the data so far shows the special diet appears to be more effective at the end of a training session.
Dr. Saltin now become the fifth recipient of the prize which is awarded by the IOC and Pfizer every two years.
To all of us, Dr. Saltin says three to four hours of moderate exercise a week will decrease the risk of heart disease, type two diabetes, and premature death.
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February 16, 2002
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