The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has launched its new Female Performance and Health Initiative (FPHI) with the aim of having a positive impact on the future success and wellbeing of female athletes.
The institute has partnered with subject matter experts, high-performance athletes and coaches to develop the suite of online learning modules that make up the FPHI.
The initial seven modules, now available on the AIS website, focus on the menstrual cycle, menstrual abnormalities, puberty, and hormonal contraception.
Taking part in the launch was two-time freestyle aerial skiing world champion, Laura Peel (pictured).
“Elite athletes spend so much time, energy, effort and even money trying to find that edge, the one per cent, but we have this entire part of ourselves that has more or less been left untapped,” Ms Peel said.
“As an athlete, I have never considered that female health considerations may help me in my performance, and I don’t know a lot of athletes who have done so.”
FPHI Program Lead at the AIS, Rachel Harris said it was crucial that conversations about female health became commonplace among athletes, coaches and medical professionals.
“The AIS FPHI was developed as a result of overwhelming need in the Australian high-performance sport environment for better support and management of our female athletes,” Dr Harris said.
“The aim is to help athletes understand that these issues are normal and it’s okay to ask for help.”
She said normalisation of these subjects would encourage future athletes to understand their unique physiology and open up conversations.
