The track and field season continued with a Diamond League meet in Doha on Friday, attended by many athletics stars, two months before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Athletes are using this Diamond League event as a warm-up and/or a chance to post qualifying results for the 2021 Olympics.

For the ninth consecutive year, Aspetar, the orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, is providing its world-class medical services to the local and international athletes participating. Aspetar’s ongoing collaboration with the Qatar Athletics Federation in providing medical coverage to the Doha Diamond League is another example of Aspetar’s commitment to supporting athletes during sporting events in Qatar.

Aspetar also serves as a vital primary health care facility for athletes and has a pivotal role in managing and coordinating medical services to the Diamond League event, ensuring that all stakeholder groups receive comprehensive medical care.

Dr Abdulaziz Jaham Al Kuwari, Aspetar CEO, said: 

Athletics is one of the most popular sports in Qatar, and through the Diamond League competition we serve athletes by providing them with comprehensive medical support.  We are very pleased to partner with a such distinguished yearly event, and the success of Qatar Athletics in international competitions has made us proud and persuaded us to continue our support for this beloved sport.

For this year’s event, Aspetar set up on-site facilities at the Qatar Sports Club, offering services to all participating athletes. Led by Dr Laith Laith Anis El Sanfaz, Chief medical officer of the event, a team of 20 physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, and massage therapists provided immediate medical care throughout the event and at the participants’ residences.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic a few operational practices have been changed to adhere to MoPH and International Athletics Federation (IAAF) guidelines. Aspetar will manage the COVID-19 testing for all athletes participated in coordination with Qatar Athletics Federation, yet due to the pandemic members of the public and spectators are not allowed to attend the event.

Aspetar medical services are provided to athletes and to International Federation officials at the athlete hotels and during training and competition at Qatar Sports Club. Additionally, the provision of medical services to the event workforce and media will be coordinated with Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) at different venues.

It is worth noting that Aspetar and the Qatar Athletics Federation have signed a cooperation agreement, under which Qatari athletics athletes will benefit from Aspetar’s outstanding medical services, and the latest scientific research and sports science. Qatari athletics stars benefit from comprehensive medical support leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, where the Qatari elite aspires to confirm their progress, especially after the successful organisation of the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships and the positive results achieved during this tournament.

Aspetar has become the preferred sports medicine destination for a number of sports stars across all disciplines, including South African Wayde van Niekerk, US triple jumper Christian Taylor, and his compatriots LaShawn Merritt, Justin Gatlin, and Alison Felix, Croatian discus thrower Sandra Perkovic, Algerian Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi, and French middle-distance runner Mahiedine Mekhissi.

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.