Too fat to do sports

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More than six months ago, a group of athletes contacted the Lëtzebuerger Journal because the national Médico sportif had only given them a temporary extension to their competition licence during their sports medical examination. The reason: a BMI, short for body mass index i.e. the value that indicates whether a person is normal, underweight or overweight, that was too high. The fact that the article is only appearing now, months later, is not due to the reluctance of the athletes concerned to provide information – on the contrary – but to the fact that no sports physician in Luxembourg was willing to comment on the issue from a medical perspective.

But back to the beginning. In July, José Sanchez published a video on Facebook, which was soon commented on by numerous other users of the social network. The background: after a few months of physical inactivity, the long-time sportsman wanted to get back on the pitch with the Dudelange Steelers, the American football team from Dudelange. José is 47, goes to the gym every day and has a belly like so many Luxembourgers in his age group. He has been to the Médico many times, as José has been involved in competitive sport all his life. This time, however, the visit to the check-up doctor is different than usual. "I went in with a big smile on my face and came out feeling seriously ill, " says the 47-year-old.

A shock for sports enthusiasts

José is given two notes: one for a performance test by a cardiologist, and one regarding his excess weight, with a referral to his GP and the Clinique de l'Obésité (obesity clinic). "I weigh 105 kilos and am 1.75 metres tall, so I have a BMI of 34. But I'm not just fat, I'm also muscular and have very broad shoulders. My weight is ideal for my position in American football and I feel really healthy, " says José. However, in order to renew his licence, which is meant to expire on 31 December 2022, he is given four more medical prescriptions – one for a nutritionist, one for a sports physician, one for a lung specialist and one for a psychiatrist to check for a possible eating disorder.

The athlete is also advised to consider bariatric surgery, i.e. a reduction or modification of the digestive tract in order to lose weight. "I want to do sport and I'm told I should have my stomach reduced in size. That's a joke! You can read online that such an operation is only recommended for a BMI of 40 or more, not 34," says José indignantly. Nevertheless, his licence is only provisionally extended until 30 September 2023 and the athlete needs a certificate from a sports physician. The doctor writes him a report in October: José is "fat and fit" – still, his medical licence is extended for one year instead of the usual two to three.