22/06/2011 12:00 AM (Doha, Qatar – 22nd June 2011) Aspetar Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital is this week testing Qatar’s national footballers, so that they can be issued with a FIFA Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) certificate. Last month, Aspetar began testing all the players of the 12 clubs in the QSL First Division, including newly-promoted Al Jaish (Army), as each team was eliminated from its local or regional cup competitions. That process was recently completed and it is now the turn of the national squad players to go through the same procedure. This is the second year that Aspetar, in conjunction with ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence, has carried out these tests. They include: blood tests, X-rays, a nursing/medical assessment, DEXA, physio/isokinetic testing, and ultrasound and cardiology tests. This has allowed the players to complete their PCMA/pre-participation screening, their performance assessment and their biomechanical screening all in one day. Such tests give Aspetar’s medical team a comprehensive picture of each player’s fitness levels, and whether he has any potential physiological problems. Once all the tests have been completed, and he has been given the green light, the player receives the official certificate allowing him to participate in any FIFA international event. Dean Kenneally, Aspetar’s Director of National Sports Medicine Programme (Medical & Sports Services), said: “From October 2011, the FIFA Executive Committee has agreed to make the Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) mandatory for players and referees prior to all FIFA final competitions. Aspetar, as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, seeks to implement this strategy into First Division football clubs for the 2011/12 season. The PCMA will complement the existing pre-participation screening and developing performance and biomechanical assessment programmes that currently exist within Aspetar.” After completing their assessments, the players then spend a second day at ASPIRE, undergoing a further series of tests there.