"Junior Cup Diabetes" in Geneva
The second European soccer tournament for children and adolescents with diabetes was a great success
All the participants were enthusiastic about the second European soccer tournament for children and adolescents with diabetes, which was held in Geneva on August 22-24. In this tournament, the young diabetics and their parents heard new ideas on how best to deal with diabetes, exchanged experiences, and enjoyed some great sport. The more than 170 players who took part at the Center sportif du Bout-du-Monde in Geneva were boys and girls with type 1 diabetes aged between six and eighteen from more than 14 countries including Germany. The young players were cheered on by about 500 spectators – other participants, families and friends.
Sport and diabetes – a good combination, not only in Geneva
Twelve-year-old Eric was one of the participants. Like many other kids of his age, playing football and eating sweets is what he likes best. There only one difference between Eric and other children: the bright young footballer is a type 1 diabetic. His pancreas can no longer produce insulin, a hormone that is vital for human metabolism. But this doesn't stop him from cleverly dribbling his way around his opponents and scoring goals on the football field.
"Sport is always a good way for children and adolescents to reduce stress, strengthen their self-confidence and have fun with other kids of their own age. You can still do all these things if you have diabetes – you just need to know what impact exercise has on your blood sugar," says Professor Thomas Danne, Secretary-General of ISPAD (International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes) and pediatric diabetologist at the “Kinderkrankenhaus auf der Bult” children's hospital in Hanover. "An international soccer tournament for children and adolescents with diabetes is therefore a great idea!"
Regular monitoring of blood-glucose levels is important – not only in sports
"I've have diabetes for two and a half years," says Eric. "It was a bit of a shock to begin with, because the doctors kept me in hospital for three weeks." The twelve-year-old has his diabetes under control in the meantime, thanks to precise blood-sugar management. He copes well with the restrictions, e.g. on what he's allowed to eat: "Whenever I'm out with my friends and they have jellybabies on them, I just have to do without."
He's well aware of the hypoglycemia risk while playing football. "I notice it very quickly, because I immediately go shaky, weak and tired. My mother always gets a big fright," the football fan explains. "But I know exactly how to measure my blood sugar and how to handle my insulin pen." The self-confident way he handles his metabolic disturbance helps Eric feel like a normal boy.
Aim: greater focus on adolescent diabetes
The Junior Cup Diabetes was organized as part of the run-up to World Diabetes Day on November 14. It's a special event for children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and part of efforts to place greater emphasis on this form of diabetes disease among young people.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared 2007 and 2008 "Years of Children and Adolescents with Diabetes." They point out that the problems of the youngest should be given priority.
The UN Resolution on Diabetes adopted on December 20, 2006, calls on member states to develop nationwide measures for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.
The European Members of Parliament who had a meeting with the ISPAD in January 2007 at the European Parliament in Brussels, together with IDF Europe and the members of the European Commission, called for better diabetes treatment in the European Union.
Commitment for a common cause
The Junior Cup Diabetes is organized by Medtronic and Bayer HealthCare Diabetes Care in cooperation with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD), the Philias Foundation, and the Theodora Foundation.
