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Smoking sports
2008-03-15 Written by: André Lowe 
Fabian Davis
Smoking is a common activity in local culture, spanning every facet of Jamaican life. Cigarettes, beedies to the outlawed marijuana are all frequent features seen dangling from the lips of young men and women all across the island.
The phenomenon has not eluded the sporting community, with regular scenes of players obliging their cravings before and after participating in their respective sporting activities, with scant regard for its effect on their levels of performance and personal health.
The fact that the habit shortens life by an average of 10 years and is the leading cause of cancer, emphysema and heart disease is only a peripheral thought for most individuals.
It should however matter to sportsmen and women that smoking normally limits their ability to compete with their non-smoking peers, as its physical effects – increased heartbeat, decreased circulation and shortness of breath – impairs their performance.
Smoking also affects the athlete’s ability to recover in a timely manner from bone, tissue and muscle related injuries. Additionally, the tar found in nicotine (cigarette’s main component) damages the alveoli of the lungs, which in effect minimises their ability to stretch, impairing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. In essence limiting the smoking athlete’s ability to run briskly and for long periods.
The habit is however not confined to the field of play, as spectators get involved in the act, exposing non-smoking patrons and players alike to the dangerous substances. Despite not being limited to it, football players and their supporters in particular are generally seen as being most at risk from passive smoking.
Despite the obvious health risks, there is presently little or no monitoring of the practice locally and most sporting bodies are yet to establish policies that address the situation and clearly state their position on the issue.
There is little indication that he island’s largest sporting body, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has any policy in place. Officials seemed uncertain on the matter and made references to several other members for information when the Sunday Herald made checks last week.
Chairman of the JFF Medical Committee, Dr Guyan Arscott could not confirm whether or not a policy is in place but spoke down on the habit.
Discouraged
Arscott, who was also recently named as the chairman of the Caribbean Football Union’s Sports Medicine Committee stated: “Every player is discouraged heavily against smoking and if there is a serious problem we will seek to get some counseling for them.”
In the meantime, Jamaica and Arnett Gardens’ utility player Fabian Davis blasted the act and called for a greater sense of responsibility among sportsmen and women.
Said Davis: “Personally, being an athlete in a professional environment, I cannot do anything to jeopardise my career at this point in time. Smoking in general is bad for people on a whole and for athletes and with regards to marijuana, it’s a drug and as an athlete, you have to try your best to stay away from those things.
“Smoking is totally wrong. It remains a source of comfort for some people, but the fact is that it is wrong. You have to think about your health and those around you that don’t smoke. You can’t think about yourself when you are involved in a team sport.
Role model
“At the same time, you have to remember that a lot of people are looking at you and you have to try and be a good role model to a lot of kids. As athletes, footballers in particular, we have to start being more positive,” Davis stated.
It is against this backdrop that noted medical expert and member of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, Dr Herb Elliott has called for a ban on smoking at sporting events.
Dr. Elliott who first made the call at a recent Rotary Club meeting, repeated his imploration during a recent telephone discussion with the Sunday Herald.
He pointed to the fact that several countries have already outlawed the act and took his plea further, with a call for a ban on smoking in public places.
Said Elliott, “what we would like to see is a ban on smoking at all sporting events. That way we will get rid of smoking and the marijuana associated with certain sports.
2008-03-15 Written by: André Lowe Fabian Davis
Smoking is a common activity in local culture, spanning every facet of Jamaican life. Cigarettes, beedies to the outlawed marijuana are all frequent features seen dangling from the lips of young men and women all across the island.
The phenomenon has not eluded the sporting community, with regular scenes of players obliging their cravings before and after participating in their respective sporting activities, with scant regard for its effect on their levels of performance and personal health.
The fact that the habit shortens life by an average of 10 years and is the leading cause of cancer, emphysema and heart disease is only a peripheral thought for most individuals.
It should however matter to sportsmen and women that smoking normally limits their ability to compete with their non-smoking peers, as its physical effects – increased heartbeat, decreased circulation and shortness of breath – impairs their performance.
Smoking also affects the athlete’s ability to recover in a timely manner from bone, tissue and muscle related injuries. Additionally, the tar found in nicotine (cigarette’s main component) damages the alveoli of the lungs, which in effect minimises their ability to stretch, impairing the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood. In essence limiting the smoking athlete’s ability to run briskly and for long periods.
The habit is however not confined to the field of play, as spectators get involved in the act, exposing non-smoking patrons and players alike to the dangerous substances. Despite not being limited to it, football players and their supporters in particular are generally seen as being most at risk from passive smoking.
Despite the obvious health risks, there is presently little or no monitoring of the practice locally and most sporting bodies are yet to establish policies that address the situation and clearly state their position on the issue.
There is little indication that he island’s largest sporting body, the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) has any policy in place. Officials seemed uncertain on the matter and made references to several other members for information when the Sunday Herald made checks last week.
Chairman of the JFF Medical Committee, Dr Guyan Arscott could not confirm whether or not a policy is in place but spoke down on the habit.
Discouraged
Arscott, who was also recently named as the chairman of the Caribbean Football Union’s Sports Medicine Committee stated: “Every player is discouraged heavily against smoking and if there is a serious problem we will seek to get some counseling for them.”
In the meantime, Jamaica and Arnett Gardens’ utility player Fabian Davis blasted the act and called for a greater sense of responsibility among sportsmen and women.
Said Davis: “Personally, being an athlete in a professional environment, I cannot do anything to jeopardise my career at this point in time. Smoking in general is bad for people on a whole and for athletes and with regards to marijuana, it’s a drug and as an athlete, you have to try your best to stay away from those things.
“Smoking is totally wrong. It remains a source of comfort for some people, but the fact is that it is wrong. You have to think about your health and those around you that don’t smoke. You can’t think about yourself when you are involved in a team sport.
Role model
“At the same time, you have to remember that a lot of people are looking at you and you have to try and be a good role model to a lot of kids. As athletes, footballers in particular, we have to start being more positive,” Davis stated.
It is against this backdrop that noted medical expert and member of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) Medical and Anti-Doping Commission, Dr Herb Elliott has called for a ban on smoking at sporting events.
Dr. Elliott who first made the call at a recent Rotary Club meeting, repeated his imploration during a recent telephone discussion with the Sunday Herald.
He pointed to the fact that several countries have already outlawed the act and took his plea further, with a call for a ban on smoking in public places.
Said Elliott, “what we would like to see is a ban on smoking at all sporting events. That way we will get rid of smoking and the marijuana associated with certain sports.
But anyway, it's good that he appreciates the dangers even while he puffs away. Then again, with his recent heart problems, maybe he has now given up the habit.
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