Aspetar organises conferences of this kind to equip physicians, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, nutritionists, podiatrists, sports scientists, researchers and coaches with the latest knowledge and skills on how to manage and prevent the most common injuries and illnesses in athletics. As one of the world’s most advanced hospitals in sports medicine, Aspetar offers an unrivalled opportunity for sports medicine and science professionals to come together and drive new knowledge and skills.

Dr Paul Dijkstra, Director of Medical Education at Aspetar and Chairperson of the Scientific Planning Committee, said:

“Not only will this conference cover a number of important topics on injury and illness management and prevention, but it will also stimulate debate on medical and coaching teamwork to help athletes perform at their best. There are many health and performance aspects to consider when working with athletes to perform at their best at the right time, including, environmental challenges like heat and humidity, altitude training and travelling for long distances, optimal training load and recovery. The key is shared decision-making between coaches, clinicians and athletes, all   of whom contribute a unique context to identify the best way forward. Everyone has something to learn at this conference!”

The sport science sessions will include lectures and interactive discussions on performance optimisation, nutrition, and how to prepare athletes for travel before a competition. Besides the scheduled sessions, participants can choose from multiple   practical symposia and clinical anatomy sessions at Aspetar’s Sports Surgery Training Centre. These will upskill attendees on clinical anatomy of the upper- and lower limb – both highly relevant to athletics.

Dr. Juan-Manuel Alonso, Aspetar’s Sports Medicine Physician and the Medical Director of IAAF World Championships Doha 2019, said:

“This is the year of athletics in Doha, with Qatar soon hosting the IAAF Diamond League and the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, held for -- the first time in the Middle East. For this reason, we have tried to match each topic with a world-leading subject matter expert. As a result, over three days, participants will learn about the most important topics from clinicians and scientists with extensive clinical and research experience”

The list of confirmed international speakers include:

• Dr. Kathryn Ackerman, Harvard Medical School, USA
• Dr. Clare Ardern, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
• Dr. Douglas Casa, University of Connecticut, USA
• Professor Jill Cook and Dr Andrea Mosler, La Trobe University, Australia
• Dr. Mark Hutchinson, University of Illinois at Chicago
• Professor Andrew Jones, University of Exeter, the UK
• Prof. Karim Khan, University of British Columbia, Canada
• Dr. Martin Schwellnus, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Dr. Trent Stellingwerff, Canadian Sport, Pacific Canada
• Dr. Adam Weir, Erasmus University Hospital, the Netherlands

Those interested in attending can find the agenda, full list of speakers, and registration portal at Aspetar’s website: www.aspetar.com/events.aspx.