"In my opinion as a medical doctor, the sports authorities have to be more sensitive to the medical issues of athletes when they evaluate a location for the Olympics or world championships," Alonso said.
Where issues of athletes' equitable access arise, they can be dealt with in one of two ways.
The majority of interviewees raised the issue of athlete underreporting of injuries as a barrier to injury surveillance.
Given recent events it would be remiss not to talk about the issue of athlete mental health.
It is expected to be years before the issue of athletes and unions is settled.
A panel of medical experts convened by the International Olympic Committee recommended Wednesday that the issue of athletes whose sex seems ambiguous be treated as a medical concern and not one of fairness in competition.
The issue of athletes' freedom to express themselves has gained heightened attention this year after several groups, including Students for a Free Tibet and Dreams for Darfur, have sought to link China's policy on these issues to its role as host of the Summer Olympics.
Meanwhile Powell's positive test has highlighted another issue – that of athletes blaming tainted supplements in the hope that they will receive a lighter sentence.
It is a symptom of a larger issue of an athlete being something different than what the public thinks and/or wants him to be.
