Wicklow man, Joe Conway will play a crucial role when Ireland host Europe’s most prestigious cross country race next month. The venue for the Spar European Cross Country Championships is Santry Park, Dublin and it will be the first time the race is held in the country on 13th December.

The Wicklow Town native holds the position of Medical Officer with Athletics Ireland and he will be on duty in Santry monitoring the athletes on what is expected to be a cool wintery day in December. Joe, who studied sports medicine in Australia, is responsible for the medical care of the Irish team in the lead up, during and after the race and also for the treatment of all athletes on the day.

His two main concerns are underfoot conditions on the course and the cold Irish weather ; “After the prolonged wet weather, the underfoot conditions could cause ankle problems or falls on the day. Also, the cold weather could cause some athletes, the younger ones in particular, to contract hypothermia and it is very important to diagnose this quickly and begin treatment”.

Athletics Ireland appointed Conway to the role of Medical Officer in January this year when he replaced his long time friend Bill Cuddihy who retired after several years with the association. His time in Australia taught him a lot regarding professional sport. Years of investment by the Australian Government has seen the country become the world leader in elite training for athletes. Whilst studying in Australia he was fortunate to have some of the top figures from the Institute of Sport lecture on the same course he completed.

Conway can draw on some of that experience in his role, “the Chief Medical Officer has two primary functions firstly it is a preventative role, I am responsible for screening all the Irish athletes once a year to monitor their health status. Throughout the year, I would check in with the coaches to ensure there is no sign of fatigue in the athletes and they are running to their potential. A key part of the position is to consult with coaches regularly offering advice on injury prevention and training schedules, which is a key part to modern day professional athletics“.

His second duty is educating members of the organisation and individual athletes on topics such as nutrition and over- training; he often talks to younger athletes at training camps throughout the year. Part of this role is to keep up to date on any new medical initiative being launched by the European Athletics Association and World Anti-Doping Association (WADA).

Joe also works with Paralympics Ireland and part of his job is ensuring Irish athletes are aware of their requirements in relations to rules outlined by WADA . “If any of the athletes are selected for a drugs test, I must ensure all the correct paper work is completed on time and any special dispensation needed for athletes has been received prior to the race”.

Holding such an important role within athletics in Ireland is a great honour for the Wicklow man and he takes great pride working with Ireland’s elite. “It is a great to be working with Athletic Ireland, the role is very enjoyable and getting to work with the best athletes in the country is a great honour”.

The European Cross Country Championships is being run by Athletics Ireland in conjunction with European Athletics and further details can be found by logging on to www.dublin2009.ie