Four Ethiopian Students Achieve Doctorates all Related to Sport

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Four Ethiopian students in the Discipline of Biokinetics, Exercise and Leisure Sciences (BELS) graduated with doctoral degrees from UKZN’s College of Health Sciences.

They were Dr Gashaw Analeyi, Dr Ephrm Desalegn, Dr Dagnachew Begizew and Dr Bizuw Gebermariam.

Analeyi’s thesis was titled: The Rise and Fall of the Ethiopian Men’s National Football Team Since 1962; Desalegn’s thesis was headed: Incidence and Etiology of Volleyball Injuries in Ethiopia: A Search for Amhara Regional State Clubs and Players; Begizew’s study was titled: Running-Related Injuries of 10 000m Long Distance Runners in Ethiopia, and Gebermariam’s study was titled: The Effect of Exercise on People Living with HIV in Hawassa in Ethiopia.

‘Today, injuries are a potential outcome of taking part in physical activity and have become an important public health problem,’ said Desalegn. ‘An understanding of the frequency and severity of the problem and its causes and risks are prerequisites for an injury prevention project.’

The aim of Desalegn’s study was to examine the incidence and etiology of volleyball injuries in Ethiopia and to describe factors associated with them.

He said the results of his study could be helpful in providing up to date information about the incidence and associated factors of volleyball injuries in the study areas and to use the information for evidence-based interventions.

Desalegn, an instructor in the Department of Sport Science at the University of Ethiopia, is currently involved in two research projects titled: The Relationship between Relative Age, Biological Maturation, Anthropometry, Physiological, Physical and Technical skills: An Investigation on Amhara Regional State Soccer Players Development programme; and An Investigation, on Typology and Documentation of Traditional Games in Amhara Regional State: A Search for North, Central and West Gondar Zones.

Begizew’s study aimed to establish the status of running-related injury prevention and treatment programmes, and to determine the incidence, severity, risk factors and challenges of 10 000m runners in Ethiopian clubs and youth athletic training programmes in order to develop a national strategy.

The study concluded that the runners, coaches, medical professionals and sports organisations must acknowledge the specific risk factors associated with running-related injuries and need to agree on the importance of implementing running-related injury prevention and treatment programmes.

Words: Nombuso Dlamini

Photograph: Abhi Indrarajan