The 7th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Medical Conference kicked off in Doha on today under the theme "Football and Sports Medicine Celebrating Diversity".
The Conference is hosted by the AFC, the Aspetar Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine Hospital (Aspetar) and the Qatar Football Association.
Physicians, allied healthcare practitioners, nurses and pharmacists, from around the world will participate in the 3-day long conference.
Aspetar Hospital, the first center in a network of medical excellence centers affiliated with FIFA and AFC, to host the conference, with its lectures, seminars, poster presentations, and medical workshops, shedding light on the most important issues related to sports medicine, highlighting the game's evolution in terms of diversity and inclusion.
Aspetar Director General Mohammed Khalifa Al Suwaidi said: "Aspetar has worked closely with the AFC with the intent of raising the bar from a global perspective, to illustrate the importance of research, football medicine expertise, and practices that will help support all football clubs to perform at the highest level.
"We hope that the expertise shared over these few days will even be the playing field so that all participants can learn and apply evidence-based football medicine practices and research that the many distinguished scheduled speakers present."
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Aspetar CEO Dr Abdulaziz Jaham Al Kuwari said that the fact that this conference is taking place in Qatar confirms Aspetar's position among global elite medical institutions, expressing his pride, and happiness that it will be to the benefit of the Asian football family.
Opening the landmark three-day conference, the AFC General Secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John, said: "The AFC, through its Vision and Mission, has put the success of our players and teams, at the heart of all our efforts and the development of sports science and medicine and the well-being of our players are crucial to the success of Asian football.
He added: "In recent times, we have seen greater focus placed on mental health and the use of big data and technology in strengthening the decision-making process. In essence, the latest trends further underline the need to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach in our efforts to ensure the best possible outcomes for our teams and players." AFC General Secretary explained: "This edition's theme Celebrating Diversity' presents a timely opportunity to ensure that the AFC, along with the larger Asian football ecosystem, continues to be at the forefront of adopting the best medical practices."
More than 600 delegates will learn more about sports science and medicine's latest challenges, best practices and cutting-edge developments via keynote addresses, lectures, symposia, poster presentations and clinical workshops.
The Conference, endorsed by the United Kingdom's British Journal of Sports Medicine for the first time, will also highlight the return of football after the COVID-19 pandemic and the game's progress in terms of diversity and inclusion.
The 3rd AFC Medical Awards will be held in conjunction with the conference proper on March 5, to celebrate the efforts and contributions of medical professionals in pushing the game forward.
