(Doha, Qatar: 25 November 2011) Today in Doha Aspetar Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital hosted the 1st International Consensus Meeting on Ramadan and Football. The two-day Consensus symposium will build on existing knowledge and provide the first step in developing practical suggestions for athletes, coaches and administrators when the Holy Month of Ramadan coincides with a major sporting event. The Consensus Meeting has been organized in conjunction with fellow FIFA Medical Centres of Excellence, the Clinique Chahrazed from Algeria, with the cooperation of FIFA Medical Assessment Research Centre. The event has brought together leading researchers, players and coaches who are sharing their experience and knowledge about Ramadan and football. Speaking about the Consensus Meeting, Aspetar director general. Mohammad .G.A. Al Maad’heed aid: “An estimated 25% of athletes at the 2012 London Olympics will be Muslim and will be competing on one of the world’s biggest sporting stages during Ramadan.

“With the month of Ramadan moving forward in the calendar by 10 days annually, and the international sporting calendar getting busier we can expect more instances where major sporting events will be held during Ramadan, so developing appropriate strategies for athletes to maintain health and performance becomes a significant issue”.

The Consensus Meeting is covering topics such as: Fasting and Recovery from Exercise; Effects of Hydration Status on Performance; Effect of Ramadan fasting on Aerobic and Anaerobic Powers and Flexibility in Elite Athletes; Sleep and Chronobiology in Football Players During Ramadan. Dr. Abdelmajid Yacine Zerguini will participate in the conference, he’s one of the best Algerian surgeons, and he’s a member of the FIFA medical committee, he has been working in many interesting positions in the medical committees of the Algerian Federation, African Federation and FIFA. Dr. Zerguini also have done many researches and studies related to football. Speakers include Louise Burke, Australian Institute of Sport; Ron Maughan, Loughborough University; Jasem Ramadan Al Kandari, Kuwait University and Rachida Roky, University Hassan II Ain Chock, Morocco For more information on the event please visit https://www.aspetar.com/ramadan-website/index.html