The 7th AFC Medical Conference Qatar 2022 was officially launched yesterday by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Qatar Football Association (QFA) alongside Aspetar at the Qatar Ortho-paedic and Sports Medicine Hospital-Aspetar.
The official launch was attended by Chairperson of the AFC Medical Committee Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh, QFA General Secretary Mansoor Al Ansari, Aspire Zone Foundation CEO and Director General of Aspetar Mohammed Khalifa Al Suwaidi, and Chief Exec-utive Officer of Aspetar, Dr. Abdulaziz Jaham Alkuwari.
Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh said in his opening speech: “Football medicine has been at the forefront of sports medicine research by celebrating diversity while ploughing through the chal-lenging and complex fabric of sports medicine.“Sports medicine con-tinues to contribute towards the development of football and ensuring protection and safety of players. Participants at the conference are set to benefit from the high-level evidence-based presenta-tions by an international faculty of experts. Thus, raising the bar of the con-ference to a higher level.”
The anticipated 7th AFC Medical Conference Qatar 2022 with the theme ‘Football and Sports Med-icine – Celebrating Diversity’, will welcome renowned sports medicine and science professionals from the AFC, FIFA, UEFA and Aspetar from March 6 to 10.Al Ansari said: “The field of sports medicine is of great importance as it ensures the safety and security of the sport. One of the wonderful aspects of the AFC Medical Con-ference is the international perspective our members bring to these discussions, showcasing the calibre of our panel of speakers and attendees alike.“
The AFC Medical Con-ference will provide exclusive insights into the most up-to-date trends in the field of sports medicine and provide a forum for new research results in this field. The interdisciplinary orientation of the event will serve to deepen existing and also create new syn-ergies between the different sports medicine fields, whether football medicine, conditioning, physio-therapy, etc,” the QFA General Secretary added.
Dr Al Kuwari added: “It is an honour for us in Aspetar to be an organising partner of this important prestigious medical con-ference, which will welcome the Continent’s top sports science and medical practitioners to Qatar the host of the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Aspe-tar’s renowned experts and other faculty members will also be part of the 7th AFC Medical Conference where they will share a diverse and cutting-edge sports medicine and science con-ference programme.“Here in Aspetar we are committed to football, the healthcare development of young football athletes, football medicine, research, and education. Aspetar being an AFC Medical Centre of Excellence works closely with the AFC with the intent of raising the bar on a global perspective to illustrate the important research, football medicine expertise and practices that will help support all football clubs in Asia to perform at the highest level.”
Some of the topics that will be discussed at the con-ference include fitness and conditioning, anti-doping, women’s football, con-cussion, knee and anterior cruciate ligament injuries, cardiac screening and cardiac arrest on the pitch, COVID-19 and return to play decision-making, mental health and sexual harassment in sport. Registration for the Conference will be open by December 1, 2021
