High-level sports no longer rely solely on talent and training hours. Sports medicine intervenes at every stage of preparation: physical capacity assessment, injury prevention, training monitoring, recovery, nutrition, and post-injury support. This is an approach that Madagascar must consider a priority across all disciplines.
Its role is not limited to treating injuries. Regular monitoring helps identify risk factors and implement preventive measures. After an injury, rehabilitation, recovery, and a gradual return to activity are essential to avoid relapses.
“In Madagascar, this discipline already has a regulatory framework. It provides for the monitoring and protection of athletes’ health, respect for medical ethics and fairness in competitions, as well as education, information, and research. The sports physician also participates in the guidance and monitoring of athletes,” explains Dr. Ny Aina Andrianantenaina Randriamiarisoa, President of the Malagasy Association of Sports Medicine (AMMS).
Sports medicine also contributes to the fight against doping. “Sports medicine is there to protect and monitor athletes so that they have all the necessary capabilities to face competitions, both in Madagascar and abroad. It also helps explain which medications can or cannot be taken during training and competitions to avoid doping,” emphasizes the AMMS president.
In Madagascar, this scientific dimension remains underutilized. The lack of specialists, dedicated structures, equipment, and resources devoted to research limits the medical and scientific monitoring of athletes. Collaborations exist with certain federations, such as weightlifting, athletics, rugby, and judo, but they remain uneven.
“The problem in Madagascar is the lack of collaboration between the entities concerned, notably the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Malagasy Olympic Committee, and the various federations,” notes the AMMS president, who calls on other disciplines to strengthen their cooperation. The association has about fifty members, including professors, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, lawyers, midwives, and sports journalists. Sports medicine is particularly interesting in biomechanics, physiology, cardiology, neurology, nutrition, or training load analysis, allowing for a better understanding of an athlete’s capabilities and the individualization of their preparation.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-25 06:09:23 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/dr-mamy-randrianantenaina.html