Dominique Gisin: “I saw first-hand how urgent the need for blood can be”

Dominique Gisin, former competitive skier, made Swiss sporting history by winning the gold medal in the women’s downhill event at the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014. Since 2015, she has served as an ambassador for the Swiss Red Cross, lending her very active support to numerous aid projects in Switzerland and abroad. Dominique donated blood herself for the first time in Stans a few weeks ago – in the interview, she tells us why the cause of blood donation is so important to her.

You have been raising awareness and support for SRC issues for years, but today was the first time that you donated blood yourself. Why couldn’t you donate before now?

I was not allowed to donate blood during my active career as a skier. As an internationally competitive athlete, you are in very intense training all the time – a blood donation is simply out of the question in that situation. It would have adversely affected my performance and ability to regenerate. Donors are advised to take it easy for a couple of days after donating blood – but that was just not possible for me back then, it was always full throttle.
Later, I was out of the country a lot – often with the SRC, as it happens – so I kept coming under yet another lengthy deferral period. And then I was pregnant and could not donate at that time either. But now, here I am! (She laughs)

Your training as an athlete in international competition prevented you from being able to donate. But were there values that are linked with sports or experiences that you had as an athlete that you associate with blood transfusion?

In winter sports, I saw first-hand how sudden and urgent the need for a blood transfusion can be after an accident. Some of my fellow athletes suffered bad crashes – involving open fractures of a leg bone, and the blood loss that entails. Traffic accidents can often be worse – in extreme cases, dozens of units of blood may be needed to save someone’s life. All that really got me thinking. And then there’s the fact that neither blood nor its components can be manufactured artificially, and that blood products can’t be stored for prolonged periods. That’s what makes it so important for as many people as possible to donate blood regularly.

What do you think of your first experience donating blood?

I found it very pleasant. Something I particularly appreciate about the SRC and Swiss Transfusion SRC is the way they are so much a part of the local communities: a lot of people from the region turned out to support blood donation here at the drive in Stans – the staff of the blood transfusion services, the many volunteers, and last but not least, all the blood donors. I think there is something beautiful in this community coming together at the drive.
The actual collection of the blood was a bit tricky though. My veins are very thin, so the staff of the regional blood transfusion service had their work cut out for them. But they did a great job, and in the end, everything worked out fine! I would certainly donate again – it is a way to do a good deed with very little effort!

Blood Donation and Sports

• Blood donation is not problematic for athletes who do a normal amount of training. Nor will a blood donation get in the way of the ambitions of recreational athletes. It is advisable to wait two days after donating before engaging in very vigorous training or competition, though, because the body does need time to rest.
• Of greatest relevance for athletes is the temporary loss of red blood cells (haemoglobin loss). This reduces the blood’s ability to transport oxygen, thus reducing athletes’ performance capacity for a short period. For this reason, athletes competing at a high level should not donate blood during the competition season.
• Usually, recreational athletes barely notice any reduction in performance. And the life-saving effect for ill and injured people who urgently need blood is not to be forgotten.