The German sports doctor Dr. Volker Schöffl announces his resignation from the Medical Commission of the international climbing association IFSC. He justifies his decision with the lack of will on the part of the association to implement effective measures against eating disorders in competitive sports.
“As a consequence of the IFSC's inaction, I am resigning from my voluntary position as a member of the Medical Commission with immediate effect. I agree with the President of the Medical Commission », Volker Schöffl begins his statement from yesterday evening on Instagram. As a medical doctor, he could no longer accept the IFSC's inaction to seriously address the RED-S issue.
“We have shown the problem and possible solutions to the sports director and the board of directors over and over again. However, the only confirmation we received was defamation and discouragement. In short, the IFSC may be unwilling to take further action regarding this important athlete health issue and is actively delaying and curbing any decisions that could lead to urgently needed action.
Volker Schöffl
The problem of eating disorders in climbing athletes is not new. The fact that recognized experts are now publicly criticizing the international climbing association IFSC is new.
What does the IFSC say about the resignation of its two medical commission members? Does the resignation benefit climbing because it results in a great deal of attention being paid to the topic, or does it mean that a solution is even further away because two people are missing who actively worked to improve it?
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Credits: Cover picture Frank Kretschmann and Kaletsch Media