FIL Athlete Wellness & Injury Prevention Leads:
Dr. Eugene Byrne, Chair, FIL Medical Commission
Email: dreugenebyrne@gmail.com
Interim resource for Sport Integrity/Athlete Wellness-Injury Prevention (as of September 1, 2025)
Mr. Karl-Friedrich Schauhoff, FIL Ethics Authority
Email: contact_karl@fil-ethics-authority.org
Andris Sics, FIL Technical Director
Email: a.sics@fil-luge.org
Athlete Wellness & Injury Prevention are critical to the well-being of all FIL NF participants during and after their career as a Luge athlete. The FIL supports and encourages an athlete-centered wellness approach of a participant’s physical, mental, emotional, and social health in order to thrive and maximize performance both on and off the track. The FIL strives to create and ensure a positive, safe, & trusted sport environment through proactive promotion of injury prevention & athlete wellness initiatives including awareness, education, engagement, and research through our FIL NF Athlete Wellness Resource Hub in the following areas;
Mental Wellness: The FIL is committed to promote and support the well-being of athletes and all FIL participants. Especially those Coaches and Entourage working with athletes have access to resources that can assist to recognise the importance of athlete mental health and well-being that builds overall athlete health and performance. Through education and awareness, athletes and all stakeholders in an athlete’s circle shall be empowered to recognise mental health symptoms and seek effective help if required.
In the high speed, high g-force sport of Luge, concussion awareness and education is very important. Since the circumstances under which a concussion can be sustained are so varied, it’s important for all coaches, entourage, athletes, and staff to be aware of the signs, symptoms, what to do if a concussion occurs, and how best to treat and create a safe, healthy return to life and sport competition.
Key to this is a sport organisation having a concussion policy and concussion management plan in place. This plan includes annual education, baseline testing, equipment, skills, and field of play rules & enforcement to raise the NFs concussion awareness and the importance of reporting, treatment, and incorporating it into your high-performance plans.
Foundation and Framework for Concussion Protocols
6th Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport + video abstract
CATT - Concussion Awareness Training & Assessment Tools
The Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT) is a series of online educational modules and resources addressing concussion recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and management. Good concussion management is pivotal to minimizing the risk of brain damage and may reduce long-term health consequences.
CATT Online Training Courses
SCAT - Sport Concussion Assessment Tools
The SCAT tools are just that, a tool, that is to be used in conjunction with clinical professional consultation. Please remember that this tool is not a replacement for clinical consultation. The diagnosis of a concussion is a clinical judgment, ideally made by a physician or other licensed medical professional.
** The SCAT5 and Child SCAT5 should not be used solely to make or exclude the diagnosis of concussion in the absence of clinical judgment. A person may have a concussion even if their SCAT5 or Child SCAT5 is “normal.”
WHAT IS SCAT5? - SCAT5 Assessment
The SCAT5 is a standardized tool for evaluating for a suspected concussion and can be used on individuals aged 13 years and older. It supersedes the original SCAT (2005), the SCAT2 (2009), and the SCAT3 (2013). For children aged 12 and under, please use the Child SCAT5.
WHAT IS A CHILD SCAT5? Child SCAT5 Assessment
The Child SCAT5 is a standardized tool for evaluating injured children for concussion and can be used in children aged from 5 to 12 years. For older persons aged 13 years and over, please use the SCAT5.
** The Child SCAT5 is designed for use by medical professionals. If you are not a licensed medical professional, please use the Concussion Recognition Tool (CRT5). If a concussion is suspected, youth should undergo medical assessment by a medical doctor or nurse practitioner.
