BE A GOOD OLD SPORT 
Docs agree older folk should get a health check before taking part in strenuous sports

From older weekend runners to older athletes there are more of such folk these days despite recent news
of veteran footballers collapsing on the field.

The most recent National Sports Participation Survey, done in 2005, found that 23 3 per cent of Singaporeans aged above 40 engage in  sports activities at least three times a week - a 6 4 per cent increase from the last survey in 2001.

A mass participation event like the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon has seen a spike in the number of competitors aged above 50.

In 2004, there were just 763 such runners, but there are 2,918 who have signed up for this year's race which will he held next month.

Staying physically active as one ages is clearly a mantra here but there are some grim numbers too.

Last Sunday, Singapore's Youth Olympic Games football coach David Sivalingam, 51, died suddenly of a heart attack while playing in a veterans charity game.

He was the second football veteran to collapse during a game in as many months.

Last month former international Dollah Kassim had a heart attack at the Sultan of Selangor Cup veterans match. The 60-year old is still in a coma in hospital.

Over the last 10 years, at least three other former footballers had heart attacks while playing in veterans' games.

Even athletes younger than 50 have met with sudden death or suffered cardiac attacks.

At the Osim Singapore International Triathlon in August this year, 42-year old Calvin Lee Wee Sing died after taking part in the swim leg.

In 2006. former national hockey captain S Morgan. 46. died of heart failure after passing out during a veterans hockey game.

Medical experts agree that age is one factor in such cases, but not the only one. They also stress that regardless of whether one is the occasional weekend sportsman or a competitive veteran, a health check prior to strenuous activity is recommended.

Dr Francis Lee, senior consultant and head of Alexandra Hospital's emergency department, said: "Age diminishes cardiac reserves and the ability to perform competitively.

"But the risk of having cardiac events is also related to underlying factors such as hypertension, diabetes and smoking not age per se."

Doctors said a medical screening is the best way to avert such tragedies, especially for older folk who take part in sports on an irregular basis.

Indeed, in a letter to The Straits Times Forum last Thursday, Associate Professor Lim Chin Leong, an exercise physiologist, called for compulsory medical screening for veteran athletes above age 40, despite the high cost and logistics.

At the moment, such screenings are voluntary.

Meanwhile, to improve health awareness among recreational athletes, the Singapore Sports Council has come up with the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire or PAR-Q which it is disseminating to its sports related organisations.

Designed to help athletes assess their level of physical readiness it will also be used at events such as the Singapore 9s veterans' football tournament at the end of this month.

Those aged above 45 are eligible to take part in this event. Participants will have to fill in the PAR-Q before the tournament and need to seek medical advice if they have health concerns.

"Thousands here play football every week and they shouldn't stop because of a few isolated incidents," said Mr P Sivakumar, deputy general secretary of the Football Association of Singapore.

But safety is everyone's responsibility and they should take all precautions like filling out the form.

Aside from cardiac related problems older folk are also more susceptible to physical injuries.

Dr Low Wye Mun, a sports medicine physician at The Clinic at Cuppage, said he has seen more older patients seeking treatment for injuries to the muscles, tendons ligaments and joints.

"As any older sports person knows, those injuries take longer to heal than when one is younger." he said.

Medical experts agree that there should not be a cut-off age for sports.

Dr Lee said that deciding when to stop pursuing sports should depend on your state of health, physical abilities and your commitment to safe and proper training methods.

The health dangers are higher still for those who take part in sports only once in a while in a bid to get fit said, Dr Low.

The right way, he added, is to stay fit through exercise in order to take part in high-intensity sports.

But for veteran athletes, even those who are less fit, a desire to rekindle former glory may lead them to cast caution to the wind.

Former hockey international Krishnan Vijayan, who was next to Mr Morgan when he passed out on the field, said his close friend's death was a painful reality check for older sportsmen everywhere.

"Once we are on the pitch, we will forget our age and give every thing we've got," said the 44-year-old.

"But now I know not to take too many chances for the sake of our health and our family."