Larisa Gunina: Such platforms are necessary for the exchange of professional opinions and human communication

One of the main speakers of the XXVI International Scientific Congress "Olympic Sport and Sport for All", which will be held at the Volga Region University of Sports from September 7 to 10, will be Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Deputy Director of the Olympic Institute of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine, chief specialist of the National Anti-Doping Center of Ukraine Larisa Gunina.

And a little more about our guest of honor. Larisa Mikhailovna is a member of the Commission on Innovations in Sports of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine; a member of the Ukrainian Association of Specialists in Sports Medicine and Therapeutic Physical Culture. She is a regular participant of international congresses and conferences on high-performance sports and on issues of medical and biological support for high-performance sports, a speaker of regular seminars for advanced training of coaches in different countries. In addition, Larisa Gunina is known to sports doctors, ordinary sports fans, coaches and professional athletes as the author of a number of popular scientific publications, such as "Pharmacology of Sports", "Fundamentals of sports nutrition" and "Sports nutrition", "Medical and biological support for the training of hockey players", etc.

As part of our work, Larisa Mikhailovna will make an online report on the position of the IOC on the use of special food additives in sports at the plenary session of the Congress, which was included in the business program of the IX forum "Russia - a sports power" and will be held in one of the halls of the Kazan EXPO IEC on September 8 and 9.

We asked Larisa Mikhailovna to answer a few questions on the eve of the Congress. In particular, at our request, she told about her expectations from the upcoming large-scale scientific forum.

- I want to say that the Congress "Olympic Sport and Sport for All" was initiated by Vladimir Nikolaevich Platonov (a long-term rector of our university, professor, academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences), and therefore the staff of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine traditionally took an active part in it. So there is nothing surprising in the fact that I agreed to speak at the next Congress. As a scientist, this is very interesting for me. I think it is important for all of us that our listeners – students, coaches, athletes, sports doctors, researchers in this field – know as much as possible about modern sports and its roots. I will not be able to personally visit Kazan, which I have long wanted to visit, but I am sure that the Congress will be wonderful. I have no doubt that it will be organized at the highest level! I have already seen the program of some sections, and I think that it will be exciting and useful for everyone.

- What, in your opinion, is the practical significance of such forums?

- I believe that this always gives a powerful impetus to the development of those who want to develop in this area. Because in science, the role of personal communication and the charisma of a scientist is extremely great. And even taking into account that part of the Congress will be held in the online format, it will still be an impulse for development, for the birth of new ideas concerning the entry of sports to a new qualitative level. Such platforms are necessary for the exchange of opinions and human communication, and they will always be in demand! 

- Tell us a little about the topic of your report.

- The topic is very relevant. And it has not lost its relevance for quite a long time. And it became particularly important in 2018, when the consolidated position of the International Olympic Committee on the use of special dietary supplements by elite athletes was published. Up to this point, the process was chaotic, and in many respects, unfortunately, it remains so today. I would like as many people as possible to learn about the position of the IOC, which is that the use of dietary supplements cannot be an end in itself, but should be a means of improving not only the performance of athletes and the effectiveness of competitive activities, but primarily designed to help maintain health and ensure sports longevity. The second motive of my speech is the unfounded statements of some representatives of the anti - doping authorities, who absolutely groundlessly label the fact that all special supplements are doping. Such an approach should be strongly condemned. First, if a specialist is engaged in creating a scheme for the use of food additives, he chooses in advance those that should not contain prohibited substances. Secondly, powerful structures are working on the creation of food additives themselves, often with Nobel laureates in the state. These supplements are developed by doctors, biochemists, pharmacologists who are fully aware of the measure of responsibility to athletes and the Olympic movement. I would like to achieve an understanding that the health of athletes, combined with a high sports result, is at stake for me, as a representative of the medical and biological block, first of all. And the reasonable use of food additives opens up new opportunities for this.