Chennai, Feb 10 (.) The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in collaboration with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) today organised a four-day Emergency Medicineand Anti-Doping Regional Course for medical professionals and physiotherapists from AFC Member Associations (Central & South Asia Region) at the Sri Ramachandra Centre for Sports Science, (SRCSC), Chennai.
Inaugurating the course, Dato Dr. Gurcharan Singh, Chairperson, AFC Medical Committee said the vision and long-term goal of the
AFC is to win the football World Cup by Asian countries.
He emphasised that while technical training and on-field practice are essential, sports medicine and sports science play an equally critical role in achieving this goal.
Referring to recent research on the success of Europe’s top football teams, he noted that over 90 per cent of players remain consistently available for training and competition, largely due to significant investment in player welfare and medical support.
On similar lines, the AFC has planned to increase its investment in football development across Asia. He highlighted that administrators and medical professionals across the continent must work together to elevate the sport and bring it into the global spotlight.
In addition to developing and regulating football, the AFC works closely with its Member Associations to foster and strengthen football sports medicine in accordance with FIFA standards, through regular scientific conferences and hands-on training programmes.
The course is being attended by 50 participants from multiple AFC Member Nations, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and India.
Football is extremely popular in India, and this course is highly beneficial for the medical fraternity in safeguarding football players
from injuries. Several instructors and members of the scientific team from across the country have come together to exchange knowledge, share cutting-edge technologies, and gain hands-on experience to derive maximum benefit,” AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey said.
He said the course features leading international and national faculty delivering lectures and hands-on sessions on the latest developments in football emergency medicine and anti-doping practices.
SRCSC Director Dr. S. Arumugam said the specialised programme provides updates on the latest advances in football emergency medicine and aims to equip medical professionals to prevent severe injuries and manage on-field medical emergencies, including
sudden cardiac events, thereby ensuring player safety at all levels of the game.
. GV 1250