Doctors to oversee athletes' diet

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, who is also the SEA Games Organising Committee Chairman, has ordered doctors to monitor and control food quality for athletes after a budget increase from the government.

Food given to athletes will be carefully monitored under the advice of doctors.

“The athletes need to eat a proper diet in order to stay healthy and perform well. Special attention to things like protein levels should be paid in choosing meals, so the sectors involved, such as the Medical and Doping Control Committee, should check up on this,” he said.

Mr Somsavat advised doctors to work with each federation, discussing food control for athletes playing particular sports. This is especially important for sports requiring strict weight control, as protein intake needs to be at the correct level.

Recently, the committee has sent its members to visit each federation regarding hygiene and food quality. It was found that though some federation's athletes are getting the proper nutrition, others are not up to par.

A member of the committee, Dr Bouathep Phoummindr, said she had been involved in checking food. “Some federations have recruited popular restaurants to cook for their athletes, but some meals still include dishes like fried or boiled vegetables, which will reduce the energy of the athletes,” she said.

She was in support of rechecking the nutritional intake of athletes after the budget increase, saying it was extremely important for those taking part in the games.

In the last few months, Vientiane reporters have visited some federations to see how the athletes live. Some were benefiting from their conditions, as reported by the physicians, but some were still not comfortable and their meals weren't providing sufficient protein.

Dr Bouathep said that in the next two weeks the committee will visit the athletes to check on several aspects of their conditions, such as health, food and sanitation. They want to make sure they are happy and healthy for participation in the SEA Games.

Until now, the budget has been 45,000 kip for food and 25,000 kip for pocket money per day for each athlete. Recently, the committee meeting reported that the chairman advised an increase of 15,000 kip per day for food starting October 1, in order to encourage athletes to eat properly.

Mr Somsavat said this does not mean they can eat anything they want, so the mission for both the federations and the doctors is to control their food intake.

 

 

By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
October 6 , 2009

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