World Athletics' Health & Science Department at the UCI headquarters in Aigle
When it comes to athlete safety and wellbeing, there are many common points between athletics and cycling. Medical conditions such as exertional heat stroke, traumatic brain injuries (ie concussions), and nutrition for competition and training are relevant to elite athletes in both sports.
Last year, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and World Triathlon medical departments officially joined the World Academy for Endurance Medicine, powered by World Athletics, to support healthcare professionals overseeing these sports. The goal is to ensure that internationally accepted treatment gold standards are adopted and implemented in all competitions.
Stephane Bermon, Director of the Health & Science Department at World Athletics, highlighted the importance of the collaboration.
“The partnership between the UCI and World Athletics in the context of the Academy is an invaluable opportunity to exchange best practices that are crucial to our sports,” said Bermon. “Together, we are elevating the standard of sports medicine to ensure athletes' safety and performance in even the most challenging conditions. This partnership will empower healthcare professionals to better protect and guide athletes, ultimately benefiting both the sports of cycling and athletics.”
Recently, the Health & Science Department at World Athletics was invited to the UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland, to further discuss and plan future pedagogical tools and research projects beneficial to both cyclists and endurance runners, regardless of their level of expertise.
The UCI headquarters in Aigle
A top priority for 2025 is the joint development of two e-learning modules on concussion management and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S). Concussion injuries can have serious consequences and medical education is vital, to improve the diagnosis and monitoring of these brain injuries. RED-S, a condition caused by chronic under-fuelling that leads to multiple health problems and poor performance, is also common among distance and mountain runners, as well as cyclists.
World Athletics has also developed significant expertise in assessing and mitigating environmental stressors, such as extreme heat and poor air quality. These increasingly critical issues greatly impact the health and performance of both cyclists and runners. The UCI and World Athletics will soon pool their resources and knowledge to better understand the environmental challenges faced by professional road cyclists during summer stage races.
“Being able to draw on World Athletics’ experience in the hyperlocal and dynamic monitoring of environmental stressors is a great opportunity for road cycling and will likely help us to better understand and eventually mitigate these environmental risks,” said UCI Medical Director Professor Xavier Bigard.
By joining their expertise, both organisations aim to push the boundaries of sports medicine, ensuring that athletes across disciplines are better protected and supported, ultimately elevating endurance sports to a new level of health and safety.