Aspetar experts will be playing key roles in the world’s premier sports medicine event, the IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport.
The event is intended for individuals and organizations with an interest in the clinical aspects of sports and exercise medicine, only a few months before the largest sporting event, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
The 5th IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport was initially scheduled to be on March 2020 but had to be moved until February 2021 caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. The event will take place in Monaco from February 11 to 13, 2021 and will bring together a diverse faculty representing the foremost international expertise on injury and illness prevention.
Aspetar’s participation in the upcoming conference as partner of the conference, and is considering its partnership with the IOC as being one of its accredited research centres and part of Aspetar fundamental role to protect the health of athletes and prevent injuries and illnesses.
Commenting on Aspetar’s participation, Chief Executive Officer of Aspetar, Dr Abdulaziz Jaham al-Kuwari, said; “this conference is an ideal opportunity for Aspetar’s experts and researchers to join hands with healthcare professionals, sharing insights on illness and injuries prevention in sports. We are proud to be partners in such a prestigious event.
“As an IOC Research Centre for the Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health, Aspetar is committed to sharing the knowledge with our partners around the world”.
Like previous editions, the conference will present evidence-based information on the prevention of injuries, illness and other health problems associated with sports participation, using a multidisciplinary approach.
The program will consist of guest speakers, panel discussions, symposia, workshops, free communications and posters.
Aspetar experts including several recognized professionals in the area of injury and illness prevention have been invited as members of the scientific committee.
Thor Einar Andersen, Chief of Sports medicine in Aspetar, and fifteen high-level experts from Aspetar will present their case studies, informative panel discussions and workshops. The attending experts will offer insights, obtained through real-life case interactions, on topics including load management in elite football, cardiac screening of the elite paediatric athlete, preventing overuse injuries in team sports, how to prevent hamstring injuries and one of the most interesting topics ahead of the Games, presented by Prof. Sebastien Racinais, Head of Research entitled ‘Tropical paradise or danger zone? Beat the heat to protect athletes in a sweltering 2020 Tokyo’.
Prof. Roald Bahr, IOCs Chair of the Scientific Committee of the conference and Head of the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Program, said: “I am grateful to Aspetar for contributing no less than 15 staff members as speakers, including the prestigious keynote spot with Prof. Sébastien Racinais on how to prepare for the challenging climate awaiting participants in Tokyo for the Olympic Games in July. Few, if any, other institutions world-wide can match the wide-ranging specter of expertise provided by Aspetar”.
It is noteworthy that Aspetar in November 2012 created a sustainable long-term program on injury and illness prevention, the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Program (ASPREV), which is based on the two main conjoined elements of research and implementation.
The objectives and activities within ASPREV are closely aligned with those of the IOC; Aspetar has been recognized as an IOC Research Centre for the Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health since November 2014.
