INTERNATIONAL FEATURE SPORT AND EXERCISE MEDICINE IN NEW ZEAL THIS ARTICLE, WRITTEN BY New Zealand Sports Medicine had its finish third on the basis of medals per PROFESSOR DAVID GERRARD beginnings 50 years ago, when a group head of population. of physicians at the University of Otago OBE, FORMS PART OF A Medical School in Dunedin convened In 1964, the New Zealand team to the a special interest group under the Tokyo Olympic Games included its first SERIES PUBLISHED IN SPORT Chairmanship of Dr Norrie Jefferson. official Team Physician, Dr Renton Grigor. HEALTH TO LOOK AT THE The stimulus for this meeting had been Since then, New Zealand teams at major an earlier visit by Sir Arthur Porritt, ainternational events for able-bodied and STRENGTHS AND London-based surgeon who, with disabled athletes, continue to have the WEAKNESSES OF THE SPORT Sir Adolphe Abrahams, in 1953, had support of medical and affiliated health established the British Association of professionals. Today, the medical team AND EXERCISE MEDICINE Sport and Medicine. Porritt was a New has expanded to include doctors, (SEM) SYSTEMS IN VARIOUS Zealand trained doctor from the Otago physiotherapists, masseurs, psychologists Medical School, a Rhodes scholar to and chiropractors, consistent with COUNTRIES, PROVIDING Oxford and a track medallist in the international trends and in keeping with IDEAS AND INSPIRATION FOR 1924 Paris Olympics. He became a team requirements. distinguished general surgeon appointed ALL COUNTRIES ON HOW TO to the care of the Royal Household. SirACADEMIC SPORTS MEDICINE IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE Arthur Porritt was also an influential member of the International Olympic The early advent of sport science in New IN THIS EMERGING Committee. Zealand added to academic research that was soon to inform sports medicine SPECIALITY. MEDICAL SUPPORT FOR practice. Post-graduate training in sports ATHLETES medicine has been offered for the past VIEW PAST ARTICLES HERE 12 years by the Universities of Otago and From those early beginnings in 1963, Auckland where candidates can gain a the New Zealand Federation of Sports postgraduate diploma in sport and VIEW PAST SPORT AND Medicine, as it was then known, cateredexercise medicine through a combination EXERCISE MEDICINE AROUND for doctors actively involved with of residential courses and distance athletes, commonly through team learning. Academic sports medicine in THE WORLD EDITORIAL HERE responsibilities. New Zealand was New Zealand has evolved over the past developing a proud legacy in international30 years with the University of Otago sport and as a country of a little morebecoming the first to appoint senior than 4 million people, continues to “punchacademic staff in the discipline. In 2013 well above its weight” in the internationalthe University of Otago awarded the first arena. Track and field athletics, yachtingFull Professorship in Sport and Exercise (including sailboarding), rugby football,Medicine in New Zealand. Topics relating cycling, equestrian sport, kayaking, to paediatric sports medicine, nutrition, swimming and triathlon are amongst drug use, injury, exercise-related disciplines New Zealand athletes have cardiopulmonary dysfunction and demonstrated international success. As musculoskeletal medicine have become recently as the Rio de Janeiro Olympics inincorporated into the undergraduate 2016, New Zealand athletes won four medical curriculum at the University gold medals and 18 medals overall, to of Otago. 28 VOLUME 36 • APRIL ISSUE 2018