OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVE:
The Ontario Amateur Wrestling Association believes that severely limiting all infectious skin conditions, including ringworm is critically important to the continued positive development of the sport of Amateur Wrestling in Ontario. As such, the O.A.W.A. will continue to take measures designed to achieve this goal.
PROCEDURES TO BE IMPLEMENTED:
1. Educate coaches with respect to the conditions, causes and ways to limit them. It is critical that coaches be educated that it is their responsibility to eliminate ringworm and other infectious skin conditions. Attention must be paid to severely limiting infectious skin conditions in their club, not just "getting through" skin checks. This to be done through the following:
- information as/if required in Coaches' Monthly Mailings.
- articles as/if required in the Ontario Wrestler.
- seminar sessions at athlete and coaches camps and clinics operated or sponsored by the O.A.W.A.
- information sessions at events as necessary.
- information available upon request from the O.A.W.A. (print material) and/or from the O.A.W.A. medical resource person (verbal). These materials to be made available by phone, FAX, mail, and in whatever other way feasible or required.
2. Conduct Medical checks at all Provincial and National level events sanctioned by the O.A.W.A. in Ontario.
- these checks to be performed by individuals knowledgable about infectous skin conditions typically found in close-contact sports such as wrestling.
- wherever possible, a medical doctor knowledgable about infectous skin conditions typically found in close-contact sports such as wrestling is to be on hand during skin checks or available for back up verification if required. For example, the doctor may be made available the morning of the competition if skin checks are the night before. That way, if a call is questionable (on the part of the inspection team), the athlete can be referred to the doctor.
3. O.A.W.A. recommends that all wrestling events incorporate a medical/skin check as part of the entry process into the event. While OAWA can not mandate that all events employ such checks, OAWA will only promote those events using medical/skin checks (in the O.A.W.A. yearly schedule, O.A.W.A. web-site, etc.).
4. O.A.W.A. further recommends that all wrestling clubs in Ontario practice regular skin checks, as well as all recommended hygiene practices outlined in resource materials available from O.A.W.A.). These to include a high level of mat disinfection, and so on.
SPECIFIC MEASURES:
1. Policy for clubs/coaches found to be concealing infectious skin conditions:
The club/coach is responsible for the behaviour of their athletes. If the athlete conceals the condition, the coach is considered to have concealed it and will be held accountable. The response that the Club Coach ‘did not know’ what the athlete was doing, is not felt to be acceptable. It is the Coaches’ responsibility to know the condition of his/her athlete.
2. Reporting procedure for Athletes found having infectious skin conditions at Provincial Events:
- At the event, the Medical staff or event Convenor will speak to the Coaches of Athletes eliminated from competition to verify that there was no deliberate attempt to conceal the condition.
- If the event staff are satisfied that there was no deliberate attempt to conceal the condition, they will discuss appropriate measures with the coach to eliminate the condition (disinfection procedures for mats, etc.)
- If event staff recommend it, a request will be forwarded to the Vice-President Technical or O.A.W.A. office staff to provide the coach/club with the appropriate resource materials.
3. Other Items:
- the O.A.W.A. Staff, and the Vice-President Technical, are responsible for ensuring that there are no instances which could be considered "epidemic" in nature. That is:
- more than one athlete from a club rejected at the same event.
- athletes from the same club rejected at multiple events.
- Should a situation develop which could be considered to be "epidemic" in nature, the V.P. Technical is responsible for contacting the coach to determine that the club is aware of the concern and to determine what actions are being taken.
- Any coach felt to be working deliberately contrary to the O.A.W.A.'s Infectious Skin Condition Policy may be considered to be placing athletes in danger and a Disciplinary procedure will be initiated by the Vice-President Technical of the O.A.W.A. under the provisions as outlined in the OAWA Code of Conduct Document.
- For all skin checks at Provincially sanctioned events, promoted time lines are to be followed without exception.
Important Note: Use of Doctors’ notes at events.
For all skin checks at Provincially sanctioned events, the following Policy on Doctors' notes will be used. The O.A.W.A. respects that Personal Doctors’ input to the issue may play a role and so should be considered, but also requires members to accept that not all medical doctors have first-hand knowledge of conditions such as ringworm.
As a result, on-site medical/skin check, staff are under no obligation to follow the direction from such provided doctors’ notes, but may consider them in evaluating the ability of the athlete in question to participate. O.A.W.A. reserves the right to reject a diagnosis of an athlete’s personal doctor (as provided in note-form) in favour of the medical/skin check staff on-site at events.
In order to be properly considered, the note should include:
- the diagnosis.
- when the condition was discovered.
- medication the athlete in question has been using.
- how long this treatment has been ongoing.
Typically, doctors’ notes limited to only stating for example, that a condition is not ringworm, will not be considered.
