Tour of Flanders: Sports doctors call for medical examinations of amateurs ​

The Association of Sports and Medical Examination Doctors (SKA) is asking sports organizers and federations to explicitly refer to the website sportkeuring.be on their registration or membership forms for a preventive medical check. The association is responding to the death of a 51-year-old British cyclist during the 'We Ride Flanders' event, the Tour of Flanders for amateur cyclists.

According to SKA, the online questionnaire helps recreational athletes determine whether a physical sports medical examination is necessary to limit health risks. "Of course, even the best examination does not guarantee that nothing can go wrong after a 'go', but the risk is still limited," they state.

The doctors' association's appeal follows an incident during the mass event in Flanders, in which two other participants also had to be resuscitated. Although the SKA emphasizes that it is unclear whether a preventive examination could have prevented this specific death, the organization points out the importance of a fitness check for athletes who have not undergone a medical check in the past three years.

The SKA is not advocating for a general obligation, but does want efforts to be made to raise awareness. According to SKA chairman and sports physician Tom Teulingkx, the responsibility still lies with the athlete themselves. Amateur athletes, in particular, are more often pushed beyond their physical limits by the atmosphere during mass events, he warns.

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