Football is the world’s most popular sport. It captures the hearts and minds of millions of fans and unites communities from all backgrounds. Thirty percent of the global population is directly or indirectly connected to football.
The game’s popularity and rapid development has consequently enhanced the facilitation of scientific research into sports science, technology and medicine.
This has placed an emphasis on medical stakeholders to keep pace with the latest scientific knowledge and the increasing demands of the sport to protect and enhance the performance and health of footballers.
The AFC values the continuous education of healthcare professionals and consistently underlines the importance of science and medicine in enhancing the performance of footballers and care of players as its highest priority.
The AFC Medical Conference will gather renowned global experts in their respective fields to share and discuss the latest scientific medical developments. Since the first conference in 1995 in Tokyo, Japan, the AFC Medical Conference has grown significantly with increased attendances.
FIFA, its sister confederations, the Olympic movement and international sports and medical bodies have supported past conferences held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2000); Muscat, Oman (2005); Kuala Lumpur (2011); New Delhi, India (2015); and Chengdu, China PR (2019).
In 2023, the 7th AFC Medical Conference will be held in Doha, Qatar on 2nd - 3rd March (pre-conference workshops) and 4th to 6th March (conference) at the Westin Doha Hotel and Spa with the theme “Football and Sports Medicine – Celebrating Diversity”.
The pre-conference workshops will focus on topics such as Football Emergency Medicine, Sports Physiotherapy, Anti-Doping and Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Guided Injection before the conference turns its attention to women and youth footballers, recreational footballers of all ages and footballers with special needs. The programme includes keynote addresses, lectures, symposia, poster presentations and clinical workshops and will highlight the return of football during the COVID-19 pandemic and the evolution of diversity and inclusion in the game.
Additionally, pharmaceutical companies, medical equipment manufacturers, healthcare providers, fitness and sports equipment manufacturers and other companies related to football, science and medicine, will have the opportunity to share their knowledge and cutting-edge developments at various conference-related exhibition booths.
Doha is a multicultural city, home to some of the world’s most breath-taking, modern and vibrant skyscrapers and malls and set against a backdrop of picturesque architecture. With the impressive Doha Corniche and numerous cultural facilities, including the futuristic Education City and Qatar National Library, the National Museum, and the Museum of Islamic Art – Doha is truly the shining jewel of Qatar.
Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup from November 21 to December 18; the first FIFA World Cup held in the West Asia region and only the second FIFA World Cup staged in Asia. Qatar has hosted many regional and international sporting events including the annual Qatar Open tennis tournaments for women and men and the IAAF Doha Diamond League. Doha has also successfully hosted the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships, 2009 Oryx Cup World Championships for hydroplane boat racing, the 2012 World Squash Championships, the 3rd West Asian Games in 2005, the 2011 Asian Indoor Games, and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup™. Qatar was also most recently the centralised host of the 2020 AFC Champions League™.
The 7th AFC Medical Conference is taking place after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 making it the ideal platform to discuss essential medical topics on player health care and performance.
Aspetar – the region’s first orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital is also the first FIFA and AFC Medical Centre of Excellence to host the AFC Medical Conference along with the Qatar Football Association (QFA). Aspetar’s renowned multi-profession experts from all over the world will present, with other faculty members, a diverse and cutting-edge sports medicine and science conference programme.
We look forward to welcoming you to Doha for the 7th AFC Medical Conference in 2022 – a high value and affordable medical conference and networking opportunity that you cannot miss!