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I had the opportunity to voluntarily participate in the FIP Congress 2025 held in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a very meaningful experience for me to be able to hear firsthand about sports pharmacy on an international stage. This was because I was able to see how sports pharmacy is being discussed in the field and confirm the potential for expanding the role of pharmacists. I have summarized the lecture content I heard using the 4MAT method and would like to share it with you.
1.
WHY – Why is sports medicine important?
I felt that sports pharmacy was a new career path that goes beyond simply managing athletes' drug use, allowing me to combine my expertise as a pharmacist with my passion for sports .
In many countries, sports pharmacy is still rarely included in pharmacy school education or the official curriculum of pharmacist organizations. Consequently, athletes face issues where they conflict with doping regulations during treatment, and amateur athletes may also be exposed to doping violations, legal problems, and psychological trauma.
Ultimately, sports pharmacy is a field of great significance in that it protects the health and careers of athletes while simultaneously infusing pharmacists with new expertise and vitality .
2.
WHAT – What is Sports Pharmacy?
Sports pharmacy is a specialized field that deals with athlete-centered pharmaceutical care (from a clinical pharmacy perspective). Furthermore, it regards sports integrity as the most important value in all decision-making.
Various real-life examples were shared during the lecture.
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Cross-contamination in the pharmaceutical production process : Even trace amounts of ingredients can be detected in doping tests
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Conflict between prescription drugs and doping regulations: Sanctions imposed due to insufficient documentation despite therapeutic purposes
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Special Physiology of Athletes : Drug clearance rate calculated differently from general patients due to high muscle mass
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Health Supplement Issues : Cases where SARMs, for which even clinical trials have not been completed, were included in supplements and used even by adolescents
In particular, I was impressed by the fact that Japan has trained over 13,000 certified sports pharmacists through a six-month training course and established a system where local pharmacies handle athlete counseling.
3.
HOW – How is it actually used?
I also learned that sports medicine is not just a simple concept, but can be utilized in various ways in the actual field .
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Cooperation with Sports Organizations : Review of medical kits for the team during international competitions
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Athlete Education : Nutritional Supplement Safety, Drug Excretion Time, Doping Regulation Consultation
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Clinical Application : Simply confirming whether the patient is an athlete changes the direction of diagnosis
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Special pharmacokinetic calculation : Evaluate doping detection period for athletes by applying '10 times the metabolite half-life'
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Career Coaching : Supporting pharmacists in exploring new career paths by connecting sports and pharmacy.
4.
WHAT IF – The Future That Will Open If Sports Pharmacy Is Introduced
If sports pharmacy becomes widely adopted, pharmacists will be recognized not merely as dispensing specialists, but as key experts protecting athlete health and sports fairness .
Athletes can receive safe treatment, free from unnecessary doping violations or health damage, and society can simultaneously achieve clean sports and a trusted pharmacist profession.
I am confident that if countries introduce sports pharmacist education programs and build international networks, as seen in the case of Japan, sports pharmacy can establish itself as a new specialized field.
✍️ Wrapping up
Through my participation in the FIP Congress 2025, I once again realized that “sports pharmacy is a field that protects the health of athletes, ensures fairness in sports, and breathes new possibilities and vitality into pharmacists.”
I would like to continue working together with the society to help sports pharmacy become more widely known and enable Korean pharmacists to play an active role on the global stage.
— Society of Sports Pharmacy Society Member, Pharmacist Lee Jin-soo