A special tenth anniversary celebration was held at The Torch Ballroom at Aspire Ladies' Club and led by Dr. Mohammed Bin Ghanim Al-Ali Al-Maadheed and Dr. Mohamed Ghaith Al-Kuwari, Acting Director General of Aspetar, along with a number of Aspire Zone Foundation and Aspetar’s heads of departments and staff.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Al-Kuwari thanked all the staff present for their commitment and dedication and spent time talking to a number who have played a key role in supporting the hospital’s progress. He said:

We should all be extremely proud of what has been achieved over the last ten years – from receiving international sports medicine and healthcare accreditation to the continual advancement of our healthcare system.

During the last ten years, Aspetar has focused its strategy on supporting athletes in fulfilling their sporting potential and achieving elite performance through delivering world-class sports medicine, physiotherapy, sports science, orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation services. The hospital supports athletes, sports clubs and federations throughout Qatar as well as regularly treating international athletes and professional sportspeople.

Thanks to the commitment of its employees, effective collaboration and continual pursuit of excellence, Aspetar has made enormous in-roads in establishing itself as one of the leading sports medicine hospitals in the world. Key highlights from the hospital’s many achievements during its first ten years include:

• Expanding its state-of-the art facilities and services significantly. In 2016 Aspetar built a West Wing expansion to increase the capacity of the hospital’s rehabilitation and physiotherapy services, increase the services offered by its exercise medicine and physiology clinics, and improve the performance of athletes treated there.
• Conducting extensive world-leading research. Aspetar published more than 143 peer reviewed scientific publications in 2016 alone with more than 100 Aspetar staff members actively involved in the planning, execution, and dissemination of research papers. Aspetar integrates cutting edge research into daily clinical practice both in the hospital and on the playing field. Aspetar’s researchers are regularly invited as guest speakers to both regional and international events. In 2014, Aspetar was accepted as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Research Network in recognition of the quality of its research.

• Leading the industry in knowledge sharing. Aspetar has organised more than 80 conferences featuring leading experts and sports medicine providers to facilitate the exchange of scientific knowledge and practical theory. Experts from Aspetar regularly participate in industry conferences around the world to share their expertise and experience.
• Providing Medical and Sports Science Services to local clubs and federations through the National Sport Medicine Programme (NSMP). All local sports activities are supported by a 300-strong NSMP team that seeks to effectively link the daily activity in the country’s Clubs, Federations, at Aspire Academy and by other stakeholders together with that undertaken by Aspetar. During 2016/2017, through working in close partnership with the QOC, the NSMP has evolved and expanded its services to introduce new venues, clinics, pharmacies, rehabilitation and physiotherapy areas, massage therapy spaces as well as sports science knowledge to sports clubs and federations.
• Achieving widespread industry recognition. Aspetar has achieved considerable industry recognition for the quality of its medical care and services. These include being officially accredited as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence by F-MARC in 2009; being selected by the Executive Committee of the GCC Council of Health Ministers as a Reference Collaborator Centre in 2013; being invited by the International Handball Federation (IHF) to become the first IHF Reference Centre for Athlete and Referee Health worldwide in 2015; and being awarded “Platinum Level” status by Accreditation Canada International (ACI) in 2015.

During the anniversary celebration, Dr. Mohamed Ghaith Al-Kuwari honoured Dr. Mohammed Bin Ghanim Al-Ali Al-Maadheed and Dr. Khalifa Jeham Al-Kuwari for all their constructive and fruitful efforts with Aspetar. Dr. Mohamed Ghaith Al-Kuwari also presented certificates of appreciation to a number of Aspetar’s longest serving employees, each of whom played a critical role in helping lay the foundations of Aspetar’s success.

A specially commissioned documentary film was also unveiled at the event which highlighted Aspetar’s development and achievements during the past decade. This included a large number of testimonials from many of the world-renowned international athletes who have chosen Aspetar for treatment and rehabilitation.