At Aspire Academy’s Football Performance Centre, the conference commenced with opening remarks from Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer (ACEO) of Aspetar,  who welcomed the speakers and participants, stating;

I welcome everyone here today at this important and progressive event which cements our approach in combining scientific research and implementation within the context of Aspetar’s mission to assist athletes and help them achieve their maximum performance and full potential during world championship level events.

Al-Kuwari added;

Through the hosting of this conference, Aspetar aims to achieve numerous goals and deliver on some key objectives, including the commitment to progress medicine and advance techniques specifically dedicated to athletic athletes. Over the of the three day conference, participants will also get a glimpse of the latest innovations from all over the globe as the conference features experts from every corner of the world, achieving our vision of being a global leader in sports medicine and exercise science by 2020.

The ACEO of Aspetar continued saying; As we stand here today, we are just a few meters away from Khalifa International Stadium that is currently hosting the 2019 IAAF Diamond League and some of the world’ finest athletes. Behind the scenes, hundreds of our medical personnel are providing world class services in the fields of sports medicine and physiotherapy, giving comprehensive medical support to the world’ finest athletes that is based on rich knowledge that Aspetar has gained during myriad major tournaments hosted by the country.”

The conference is one of Aspetar’s strategic preparations to ensure it can provide the most comprehensive medical support for 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in September as the country gears up to host thousands of the world’s leading athletes.

Locally, Aspetar provides medical coverage for more than 100 sports annually. Last year, the National Sports Medicine Programme at Aspetar provided medical care for all sporting events held in the country, achieving more than 11,000 work hours by 370 doctors and specialists.

Seminars and interactive sessions during the first day of the conference

The first day of the conference revolved around lectures and interactive discussions on performance optimisation, nutrition, and preparation for athletes ahead of competition. In addition to the scheduled sessions, participants will also have the opportunity to choose from 16 different practical symposiums and clinical anatomy sessions at the Aspetar Sports Surgery Training Center.

Over the upcoming two days, the conference will cover a wide array of topics relevant to athletes, their coaches and their medical teams. These include training and performing in hot conditions, preventing common injuries and illnesses, and managing in-season tendon pain, hamstring strains, bone stress injuries, and other afflictions.

About Aspetar:

Aspetar is a world leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, with a world expert team, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility that sets new standards internationally.

In 2009, Aspetar was accredited as a “FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence” by F-MARC. In 2013, Aspetar was adopted as a reference collaborator centre by the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) Health Ministers Council and “IOC Research Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health” in 2014.

In 2015, Aspetar has been recognised as the “IHF Reference Centre for Athlete and Referee Health”. In the same year, the hospital also achieved the obtained on December 15 the Accreditation Canada International (ACI) “Platinum Level”.

Aspetar is a member–organisation of Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s innovative sports and healthy lifestyle destination.