On September 17, ReFORM was present in Nancy at the congress of the Société Française de Traumatologie du Sportand the Société Française de Médecine de l'Exercice et du Sport - SFMES and was in charge of a sports medicine session.

The presentation of the network's activities and projects by Camille Tooth (ReFORM Project Manager) highlighted the mutual benefits generated by this collaboration officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Numerous collaborative projects have been launched, with direct benefits for health and sports professionals, such asthe translation and synthesis into French of the IOC's consensus positions. For patients, the projects initiated by ReFORM have led, in particular, to the setting up of specialized concussion facilities in each of the 5 centers.

Dr. Katy Seil-Moreels, representing LIROMS, gave a highly acclaimed presentation on harassment andabuse in sport, a problem that remains taboo in many countries despite its very high prevalence. Indeed, the speaker's final words that it was not a question of if, but when, abuse would next be revealed were confirmed by yet another scandal revealed in the French press on the same day, this time in soccer.

Tom Chassard (INSEP, Paris) then presented the EMPOW'HER project. EMPOW'HERproject, focusing on theimpact of menstrual cycles and pregnancy on the performance of female athletes. Firstly, it was shown that it was important to take menstrual cycles into account when planning training sessions, as these had a real impact on performance as well as on the internal load felt by the athlete. Finally, the speaker presented the factors influencing the return to performance after pregnancy, the main one being the age at which pregnancy occurs.

The session then continued with a round-table discussion on the ethical issues involved in arthroplasty surgery on athletes, moderated by Profs. Romain Seil (LIROMS) and Patricia Thoreux (INSEP). Prof. Seil began by setting the scene, mentioning that there are now more and more top-level athletes wishing to return to a top-level sporting career after a prosthesis has been fitted(see our recently published editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine). Dr Alexis Nogier (Paris), a surgeon specializing in the hip, then presented the prosthetic indications and the different techniques used in young athletes. Prof. François Sirveaux, Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Nancy, discussed the various complications associated with the implantation of joint prostheses, while Prof. Mike McNamee (KU Leuven), holder of the world's only Chair in Sports Integrity, looked at the ethical aspects. Finally, testimonials from elite French athletes in sports as diverse as alpine skiing, table tennis, taekwondo and judo were presented by Dr. Camille Rose (Paris), Dr. Alain Frey (Paris), Dr. Sébastien Le Garrec (Director, INSEP Medical Center, Paris) and Dr. Jean-Marie Fayard (Lyon). The various speeches and testimonials collected will open up a wide-ranging debate on this topic, which is more topical than ever! 

View the interview of Prof. Mike McNamee

Alongside this ReFORM session, Dr. Anne Charlotte Dupont (a doctor attached to the Division Médico-Sportive au Sein of the Luxembourg Ministry of Sports and collaborating with ReFORM and LIROMS on research) gave 3 outstanding presentations on the impact of long-distance triathlon on cardiac and vascular remodeling as well as on the topic of post-partum and sport.

Thanks to the organizers and speakers for their confidence and the work they put in.

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