Eligibility

Eligibility - Transplant Recipient Competitors

Background

One of the main objectives of the Transplant Games is to demonstrate that people with transplants are able to lead “normal” healthy and motivated lives and compete in sporting activities such as the Australian and World Transplant Games.

By participating in the Games, recipients have an opportunity to demonstrate their gratitude to the donor whose organ or tissue they have received.

In the past participants from the following backgrounds have been eligible to compete in the Australian Transplant Games in the one general pool:

Solid organ recipients
Those with cystic fibrosis
Those awaiting transplantation
Dialysis patients
Corneal recipients
Bone marrow and stem cell recipients

This eligibility status is different from the World Transplant Games criteria which only allow:

Solid Organ recipients
Bone marrow and stem cell recipients

The Board of Transplant Australia has reviewed the purpose of the Games and the need to better recognise the generous contribution by donors of organs and tissues. Tissue donors also rightly deserve to be recognised alongside solid organ donors as both lead to improving and saving the lives of Australians.

Opening the Games for tissue recipients has been agreed to on the following basis:

Qualification - participants having undergone invasive treatment of a non-cosmetic nature requiring organs and/or tissues (excluding blood) donated by another person.

TISSUES	SOLID ORGANS
Corneal	Liver
Bone Marrow	Heart
Heart Valve (human origin)	Lung
Bone grafts (human origin)	Kidney
Tendon	Pancreas, incl pancreatic islets
Cartilage	Small intestine

It has also been agreed that in sports where there is for competition purposes, a necessity for there to be a division between ‘organs’ and ‘tissues’ it will be based along the lines of eligibility for the World Games i.e.:

World Games Division (labeled W)

Solid Organ recipients

Bone marrow and stem cell recipients

Non-World Games Division (labeled A)

Tissue recipients (including corneas)	Those awaiting transplantation
Those with cystic fibrosis	Dialysis patients

The Competition will be divided on the following basis:

Exertion sports (where two divisions competing together)

Swimming
Athletics
Cycling
3km & 5km Run

Although there will be two divisions, all participants will compete together with the first solid organ person across the line winning that division’s gold medal and the first tissue or other division person across the line winning that division’s gold medal.

This allows participants to compete in the same races without major alteration. This works well for these sports as they can compete in the same races without major alterations.

Non-exertion sports (where everyone in the same pool competes against each other regardless of transplant category):

Lawn Bowls
Archery
Golf
Petanque
Eight Ball (not in 2012)
Darts
Scrabble
Chess
Sudoku
Ten Pin Bowling

Exertion sports with a draw (where everyone is in the same pool, but splitting into two divisions, pending numbers of entrants in both divisions):

Table Tennis
Tennis
Squash
Badminton
Volleyball
Netball
Softball (Slow Pitch) (not in 2012)

Team Events:

Maximum of two tissue recipients for each team of six players on the court at any one time and maximum three tissue recipients for each team of ten people on the court at any time (per state team).

Non Recipient Eligibility:It has been decided that eligibility of non-recipient competitors to compete in the Athlete category would be assessed on a ”case by case” basis.

As an example, a person with kidney disease, as yet not on dialysis, but of a potential need for a transplant may be allowed to compete as an Athlete, provided there is compelling evidence for such inclusion.

A panel consisting of Tony Harding, Jan Wall, Margaret Martin and Chris Tew will assess such cases.

Eligibility - Donor Family and Living Donor Competitors

By participating in the Games, living donors and donor family members have an opportunity to see what their gift of organs or tissues means to the recipients who have received a transplant.

Living donors are those who have donated a solid organ for transplant, usually a kidney, a piece of liver, or bone marrow, either to a family member or friend, or in an altrusitic donation.

Donor family members are those relatives of people who died and donated solid organs or tissues for transplant (known as cadaveric or deceased donors). Donor family members are usually a spouse, son or daughter, parent or brother or sister of the donor.

Living donor and donor family members will compete in the supporter events, with the exception of the team events where specific living donor or donor family teams are formed.

Eligibility - Supporters

Family members of transplant recipients and extended family and friends of living donor or donor family members are classified as supporters and are eligible to compete in all nominated supporter events.

Supporter events include:

3km & 5km Walk and Run
Cycling
Lawn bowls
Swimming
Archery
Backgammon
Chess
Sudoku
Golf
Badminton
Ten Pin Bowling
Squash
Darts
Crossword
Scrabble
Track & Field