Doha, Qatar – 6^th September 2023 – Aspetar, Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Hospital, and the Qatar Stars League (QSL), are pleased to announce the successful completion of their 10th joint workshop focused on preventing injuries and illnesses in football. The event took place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at the football performance center of Aspire Academy.

The workshop gathered technical and medical professionals from all the professional football clubs in Qatar to deliberate on the latest advancements in injury and illness prevention. The overarching objective of this workshop was to devise a comprehensive, long-term strategy aimed at enhancing injury and illness prevention practices within football in Qatar.

Riadh Miladi, Executive Director of the National Sports Medicine Programme (NSMP) at Aspetar, said:

"We believe in Aspetar that all players deserve to have access to quality sports medicine care, regardless of their level of ability. That's why we're committed to providing world-class clinic-based services within existing clubs and nominated federations in Qatar. We also work closely with athletes and coaches to educate them on injury prevention and how to manage injuries when they do occur. Our goal is to help all athletes reach their full potential, both on and off the field."

This year's workshop holds particular significance, marking the inaugural partnership with the QSL, and it successfully brought together both technical and medical personnel from all participating clubs. This milestone underscores the substantial progress made in strengthening the collaborative efforts between Aspetar and the QSL, both deeply committed to safeguarding the health and well-being of football players in Qatar.

Dr. Roald Bahr, Director of the Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Programme (ASPREV), expressed his satisfaction with the event, stating,

"The workshop was an outstanding success. We were able to convene all the key stakeholders in football in Qatar about injury prevention and engage them in highly productive discussions. I firmly believe that this event will serve as a catalyst for the further development of our strategies aimed at reducing injuries within Qatari football."

The workshop's agenda featured presentations showcasing cutting-edge research in injury and illness prevention. Additionally, practical workshops covered an array of critical topics, including warm-up and cool-down routines, injury rehabilitation, nutrition, risk management, training load management, and effective communication with teams.

In a valuable supplement to the workshop, Aspetar presented its annual report to the clubs, offering deep insights into the injuries and health challenges faced by their players. This report serves as an indispensable tool, providing a factual foundation for medical and technical staff within the clubs to engage in substantive discussions concerning player health and, in turn, contribute significantly to injury prevention efforts.

In line with Aspetar's unwavering commitment to injury prevention, the hospital has released an extensive guide titled "Aspetar Prevention for Performance" through its distinctive programs, ASPREV and NSMP. This comprehensive guide encompasses a wealth of tools, guidelines, and recommendations across a spectrum of injury prevention aspects, including sleep, nutrition, training load management, balance, flexibility training and stretching, recovery strategies, taping and bracing, off-season considerations, mental health and well-being, concussion, and fasting. This invaluable resource is being generously shared with all relevant stakeholders within QSL clubs.

-ENDS-

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 “The 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 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.