Athletes, coaches and support staff spent Saturday 3rd October at Salini Resort, St. Paul’s Bay, for a one-day seminar on sports nutrition and supplement use hosted by the Medical Commission of the Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC), with the support of Olympic Solidarity.
The subject was chosen because supplements are now used by athletes at every level, often with little evidence that they help. Some carry real risks: products can be contaminated with prohibited substances, mislabelled, or interact with medication. And under the principle of strict liability, an athlete answers for any prohibited substance found in their system, wherever it came from. The aim of the day was to give participants the practical knowledge to make informed, safe choices.
Three sessions, one message
MOC President Julian Pace Bonello and Dr Lucienne Attard, MOC Executive Board Member and Chair of the Medical Commission, opened the seminar. The programme then ran in three parts. The first set out the basics of sports nutrition, a “food first” approach to supplements, and the supplements whose benefits are proven. The second weighed the evidence and the myths around creatine, including its role in brain health. The third turned to the risks, with a hands-on segment in which athletes checked their own supplements. A panel discussion and Q&A closed the day.
Dr Attard led the seminar with Prof Ron Maughan, an internationally recognised authority on sports nutrition, Honorary Professor at the School of Medicine of the University of St Andrews, and director of education programmes for the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission. They were joined by Fleur Bugeja, a state-registered nutritionist with over fifteen years’ experience, who works with the Ministry for Health, has lectured at the University of Malta and is currently reading for a Diploma in Sports Nutrition with the International Olympic Committee.
“Athletes are under constant pressure to find an edge, and supplements are often seen as an easy answer. The reality is that a well-planned diet does most of the work, and any supplement carries a responsibility,” said Dr Attard. “Through this seminar, supported by Olympic Solidarity, we wanted athletes and their support teams to understand what works, what does not, and how to protect both their health and their careers.”
Photo Credit: Maltese Olympic Committee
