AUC Introduces New Medical Checkup Rule for Tryouts
Edited By: Zeina Hanafy
Photo Taken By: Omar Abozeid
AUC athletic teams started the Fall 2023 semester with a change in their medical checkup rules due to the financial burden students feel.
On 3 September, the Student Union (SU) announced that the Athletic Office is making a change to the rules regarding medical checkups. Previously, students were required to undergo medical checkups before team tryouts, but this semester, the Athletic Office decided to forgo this rule, requiring only one medical checkup before students are accepted on a team.
“We decided to change the rule because we realized that many were not accepted on any team. For example, we have 1,500 students come to the tryout who spend around LE 3000 to LE 4000 for medical check-ups, and in the end, the teams only accept around 600 students,” said Sherif Elerian, the Head of the Sports Complex.
Joining one of the Athletics Department’s programs is a highly sought-after opportunity for students. Still, due to the financial burden that medical checkups require, many students hesitate to do so.
He mentioned that they also do their best to guarantee the safety of the students at all times, and that even students who are accepted will not be able to join the team until they get a clearance from the clinic.
“What we are going to do is have the doctors available on the day of tryouts to prevent anything from happening to the students,” said Elerian.
Consistently carrying around medical equipment and machines like a health reverberator for the heart is one of the ways they are trying to ensure safety.
Elerian explained that they even changed their traveling routine, to always have a doctor, a nurse, and a psychotherapist on the trip.
“If the place we are going to is not 100 percent equipped, we are 100 percent equipped with our teams and ready as much as possible,” Elrian said.
Despite SU’s public announcement on Instagram, only a few students were aware of this rule change.
According to the manager of the clinic, Dr. Basem Gamil “the decision didn’t reach me and i have no idea about it.”
Dr. Ahmed Abdelmoneam, the doctor in charge of athletes health, said that medical checkups ensure that all athletes are safe by identifying any underlying health conditions that may worsen with physical activity and essentially increase a person’s risk of injury.
“We do the best we can. It’s better than nothing. For example, most of the problems that can arise from severe exertion will be detected by the regular medical checkups,” said Dr. Gamil
The decision stirred controversy around campus between students who supported this change and others who disapproved.
“This decision gave an opportunity to many students to try to join the teams; at least now they can join without any concerns on the money that they will spend on the checkup [before the tryouts],” said Ahmed El Dardery, the tennis team captain.
Other athletes, however, argued that the medical checkup that the university asks for is too much procedure and it costs a lot of money but it helps athletes avoid any kind of sudden health problems .
“The checkups that we are asked to do makes us go through a lot of rays that might be harmful in a way, but it also prevents many other problems that can show up in the tryouts like fainting and increasing heartbeats that can be dangerous,” said Rola Khalil, AUC volleyball player.
