When the Japan Sports Agency conducted a national survey for the first time on support for female athletes who have amenorrhea and stress fractures that stop for more than 3 months due to intense training, only about 40% of the local governments are providing support. I found out.
For female athletes, there are issues such as "amenorrhea" where menstruation stops for 3 months or more due to intense training, and stress fractures increase due to hormonal imbalance.
In January, the Japan Sports Agency conducted the first questionnaire survey on the status of support for female athletes, targeting a total of 67 local governments, including prefectures and ordinance-designated cities nationwide.
According to it, it was found that 26 local governments answered that they are working on support, and only about 40% of the total.
The most specific support was "holding seminars and workshops" (19 local governments), followed by "establishing supporting organizations and committees" (8 local governments), and "telephone and email consultation counters" (telephone and email consultation counters). 6 local governments).
Furthermore, according to the Japan Sports Agency, the support of local governments is centered on elite-level athletes such as strengthened designated athletes set by competition organizations, and it is rarely done for amateur athletes and club activities such as junior high school and high school. , I am planning to proceed with a fact-finding survey at the school site.
Keishi Minamino, chief of the High Performance Sports Division, said, "I hear that it is difficult for school teachers to gain knowledge about supporting female athletes. I would like to work with local governments to provide guidance that takes into consideration issues." I am.
Efforts that emphasize "daily physical condition management"
In some cases, we face the challenges of female athletes, such as "amenorrhea" due to intense training and stress fractures, which leads to improved performance.
The Women's Ekiden Club of Mizuki High School in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture is a team that has participated in the National High School Ekiden three times so far, and currently has 18 members.
The advisor, Takeshi Matsumoto, has been working on this for about 10 years because of the many anemias and injuries of the members.
We place particular importance on daily physical condition management.
In addition to weight, sleep time, and heart rate, we record your period and the presence or absence of anemia in a custom-made practice diary, and advise you on the pace of practice while checking the condition.
In addition, several times a year, we hold nutrition seminars for registered dietitians for students and parents.
Her captain, Yoko Sugiyama, 17, suffered from anemia when she first entered school, which sometimes caused her to take a break from practice, but she took good care of her health and improved her diet. By doing so, she is no longer symptomatic.
Mr. Sugiyama said, "I had severe anemia, so I was told what to eat in the class and when to take it. At first, I was reluctant to consult, but I recorded it myself. I started to do it, and my feelings changed. I want to work hard toward my goal while being careful. "
Professor Matsumoto said, "It was difficult to ask the athletes about issues specific to women, but I think it's really good to be able to convey them well. It is important to reduce anemia and injuries in the third year of high school. , I would like to continue working and collaborate with gynecological doctors in the future. "