Given the ongoing debate about sport and whether at the upper end it is actually good for athletes, a conference taking place in UCD in April should be of great interest to those who follow the current lifestyles and training methods of athletes.

The philosophy of the conference is to present alternative perspectives on quite specific and often controversial topics. On inspection the schedule is loaded with potentially explosive lectures.

For anyone interested in cutting-edge debate, this conference is a must. The first issue up is Addiction in Exercise and this is followed by Abnormal Eating Behaviour and Exercise, an issue pertinent to middle- and long-distance female runners particularly. After a break the Use of Creatine in Ireland is discussed by Dr Noel McCaffrey, a lecturer in sports medicine in UCD and the most controversial talk of all comes at the finish when GP Dr Rob Dawson talks about whether a needle exchange programme for users of anabolic steroids in sport is the way forward.

The event is on Friday, April 7th, and is being organised by O'Neill's Sports Medicine.