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Gujarat has launched the India’s first state-level Sports Genomics Programme. The programme attempts to incorporate genomics in sports science, physiology and nutrition to provide a more scientific basis for identifying athletes and training them at high performance level. Under the supervision of Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), the programme has already commenced collecting samples of athletes in various sports categories.
What Is Gujarat’s Sports Genomics Programme?
It attempts to investigate genetic variations which might be associated with the athletic traits like endurance, muscle composition, power, metabolism, exercise response and injury susceptibility.
The initiative is not based on any assumption that one single “sports gene” can predict the future champions. There are many parameters for a successful sportsperson which include genetics, coaching, training, nutrition, lifestyle, infrastructure and social support.
According to Gujarat Science and Technology Minister Arjun Modhwadia, scientists have already started collecting the samples of athletes, with a target of 2,000 samples in the first year.
The first batch has already been collected from tennis players of Gujarat State Tennis Association. The athletes of archery, fencing, judo and shooting are expected to be covered in other phases.
A Targeted Sampling of 10,000 Athletes Over Five Years
The state plans to sample and analyse around 2,000 athletes per year, making it around 10,000 athlete samples in five years.
Sports that would be included in the programme includes,
- Athletics, swimming and gymnastics
- Boxing, wrestling, judo and taekwondo
- Football, hockey, basketball and volleyball
- Badminton, table tennis, tennis and kabaddi
- Archery, shooting and chess
The programme will also be targeting various age groups, such as those who are under 14 years, those between 14 and under 18 years, and above 18 years. State and national champions have been earmarked as important research subjects.
Gujarat Athlete Genome Database
Among the main outputs expected from the program, there is the Gujarat Athlete Genome Database (G-AGD). The database will be a scientific resource of athlete genetics, physiology and performance.
Eventually, the information in the database will be used to guide athlete identification, injury risk assessments, individualised training and recovery and nutrition programs.
Why Does the Programme Matter Before 2030 Commonwealth Games?
It should be noted that the programme coincides with the efforts being made by Gujarat to develop its sports infrastructure and environment ahead of 2030 Commonwealth Games.
With the use of conventional performance evaluations and biogenetic data, the idea is to get more insights about the athletes and thus better understanding from the coaches and sports science professionals on how various athletes react to different types of loadings, intensity of exercises and recovery.
Gujarat also intends to position itself as a Sports Biotechnology Innovation Hub, which means bridging the biotechnology resources and elite sports development.
Data Protection Will Be Important
Since genomic data are very sensitive, it will be important to ensure proper protection of the athletes’ data in the framework of the programme.
As it was mentioned, the proposed model involves informed consent, secure data storage and access control, as well as two-level barcoding.
