The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has launched new educational resources supporting female athletes in both sport and life.
The education modules are part of the AIS Female Performance and Health Initiative (FPHI), a program launched in 2019 to raise awareness about matters specifically relating to female athletes.
Following the success of the first modules launched in 2021, six new topics specific to female athletes — body image, nutrition, bone health, pelvic health, breast health and low energy availability — have been added to the AIS FPHI online learning page.
Announcing the new resources, Acting Chief Executive Officer at the AIS, Matti Clements said the Institute was intent on providing a leadership role in supporting female athlete health and performance.
“Sustainable success is a key aim of the AIS and the foundation of Australia’s collective National High Performance Sport Strategy,” Ms Clements said.
“The FPHI ensures that sports, and our female athletes, have the knowledge and resources they need to succeed both in sport and in life.”
FPHI Project Lead and Chief Medical Officer of Paralympics Australia, Dr Rachel Harris said it was crucial that female athletes knew more about their health and how it impacted performance.
“Historically, the majority of research and resources relating to health and performance were based on men, creating a lot of guesswork for female athletes, as well as their coaches and health practitioners,” Dr Harris said.
“Our female athletes need the right information to be at their best and, with the FPHI, we have sought to create a one-stop-shop to do just that,” she said.
She said there had been a great response to the first modules which related to menstruation, puberty and contraception.
“We look forward to increasing awareness with these new topics,” Dr Harris said.
