The Olympic sports scientist aiming to make the UAE fitter

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  • For the first time in twelve years, Dr Ramzy Ross watched the entire Rio Olympic Games on TV this summer.

    In 2008, the Scottish physiologist worked with Ethiopia’s distance athletes; and in 2012 he helped Team GB. Now though, Dr Ross is undertaking his biggest ever challenge – attempting to improve the health of an entire nation.

    Raised in the UAE, Dr Ross went to Rashid School for Boys in Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, before gaining a degree in Exercise Physiology and Sports Science from the University of Glasgow in the UK. A PhD followed and it was during his time at the university, that the Sharjah-born sports scientist was first given the opportunity to work directly with some of the world’s best athletes.

    Linking up with the Ethiopian team ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Dr Ross spent time with the likes of Tirunesh Dibaba, Kenenisa Bekele, Tariku Bekele, Tsegaye Kebede and the great Haile Gebrselassie. Ethiopia returned from China with four gold medals, two silver and a bronze.

    “Preparing for Beijing was an incredible experience,” Dr Ross recalls. “It was a privilege just to be in a room with the world’s best runners, never mind working with them – helping them to get acclimatised and ready for competition.

    “It can be very challenging stepping into that situation, particularly with such accomplished athletes. Gaining their trust by showing you can effectively help them is vital. Many have habits, they believe certain things, even if there isn’t scientific evidence to support it. But that doesn’t mean you tell them no or advise them against it.”

    UAE Obesity Facts

    • Over 66% of men are classed as overweight
    • Over 60% of women are classed as overweight
    • One in five in the UAE are diabetic
    • UAE children have cholesterol levels found in 60-year-old men

    “As an example, Gebrselassie loved to have a specific race drink that was more syrupy than we would typically advise. But you wouldn’t tell Haile Gebrselassie he’s wrong and, plus, it seemed to work for him! You have to assess the situation to get the best from science and the best for himself as well, in terms of what he wants.”

    So how exactly can a physiologist help athletes who are accustomed to success?

    “It’s about explaining that optimising certain things can help get that extra one or two percent increase in performance, which can be the difference between winning and losing. In the 2012 Olympics, the difference between gold and fourth place was less than one percent in all track events from 1500m to 10000m for both men and women. That’s how important it can be!

    “In the case of the Ethiopians, they were running in pretty much perfect training conditions – with the altitude and ideal terrain. But the Olympics were in Beijing, in August, which meant lower altitude, plus higher temperatures and humidity. So, one thing we did was create a chamber in Ethiopia that simulated the environment they’d be competing in, in China. It helped ensure the athletes were prepared when they stepped off the plane – it gave them a psychological as well as physiological edge, by making them feel as though they were truly ready.

    “This concept of marginal gains is one that was pushed hard, in more recent times, by Sir David Brailsford, the former head of British Cycling. This notion that if you put lots of seemingly miniature factors together then they can add up to big improvements in performance.”

    Ross carried that philosophy through to the 2012 Olympics, assisting at the English Institute of Sport (EIS) with a number of Team GB athletes ahead of the London games.

    “I carried out varying roles from looking at novel techniques to reducing injury risk, testing out some of the latest cardio-metabolic technologies to simply supporting athletes where and when it was required.

    “Again, managing relationships was crucial. It always is. Upsetting an athlete, even over something trivial, can see you quickly out of the door. If a piece of technology you’re using breaks and they associate that with you then the trust will likely disappear. But if they believe in you, and the types of interventions or advice you are offering, then it is more conducive to healthy progress.”

    After London 2012, with his reputation continuing to grow, Dr Ross decided the time was right to move back to the UAE. Having previously worked with Olympians and professional athletes, Ross opted to transfer his physiological approach to the country’s National Service – the compulsory nine-month programme for 18-35 year-old males.

    “I’ve been working with the UAE military, particularly on the National Service Programme. It’s a great programme primarily because it’s a direct method of addressing health issues in this country. There’s no question it has improved the health of cadets, for whom it’s not been a case of ‘shall I do exercise today’ but ‘I have to do exercise today’.

    “We know that diabetes is an issue and that cardiovascular-related diseases are quite prevalent here in the UAE. So when you are taking a segment of the population into the military system it is likely that certain individuals may have underlying conditions. Obviously we need to make sure that we know about them, in order to ensure the training is appropriate in terms of improving both health and performance.

    “The programme caters for this as best as possible, and we’ve seen some very positive results. Alongside with this there are military-specific fitness tests and these also enable us to monitor progress. The military has a unique set of physical pre-requisites and our job is to make sure the cadets can do them.

    “As an example, recruits may find themselves in extreme environments so we try to help them prepare as best as possible for those scenarios. There’s no point training in a cushy air-conditioned gym when the next month you’re in 50 degree heat. It is very important to get this right.”

    Dr Ross continues to play a pivotal role in encouraging physical progress among military personnel and his work was recently presented on the global stage, with growing interest from leading experts.

    “We managed to present our findings at the European College of Sports Science in Vienna this year, describing what the programme is about as well as positive results we have been able to achieve to date. The bottom line is that people here are getting fitter. Body composition is heading in the right direction and people are running faster, performing better.”

    Given his past Olympic experience, Dr Ross is certainly well positioned to help spearhead the sort of changes that could help make the country of his birth more competitive at the games.

    “Of course I’d be interested in working with the UAE Olympic Committee and there’s a lot of work to be done, including a real need for a high-performance multi-sport centre. You look at the likes of the EIS, the Australian Institute for Sport (AIS), the Singapore Sports Institute, the Aspire Academy in Qatar – these facilities play a key role in developing Olympians.”

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