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 per cent of the global population is directly or indirectly connected to football.
The game’s widespread popularity and rapid development have consequently led to significant advancement of sports science, technology and medicine.
It has also compelled stakeholders in sports medicine to remain abreast of the latest scientific best practices and stay up to date with the increasing demands of the sport in order to safeguard the players’ health.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) values the continuous education of healthcare professionals and consistently emphasises the importance of science and medicine in enhancing the performance of footballers.
Since the first edition that was hosted in Tokyo, Japan in 1995, the AFC Medical Conference has gained significant prominence with the number of participants increasing steadily.
From 2022, the AFC Medical Conference is being conducted every two years, where renowned global experts from their respective fields gather to share and discuss the latest developments, underlining the Confederation’s unwavering commitment towards delivering unparalleled medical care to its athletes.
FIFA, its sister confederations, the Olympic movement and other international sports and medical bodies have supported the past conferences held in Tokyo, Japan (1995), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2000); Muscat, Oman (2005); Kuala Lumpur (2011); New Delhi, India (2015) and Chengdu, China PR (2019). The seventh edition of the AFC Medical Conference was held in Doha, Qatar from March 2 to 6, 2023 and was attended by 700 participants with seminars featuring 170 renowned speakers.
The 8th AFC Medical Conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur for the third time from July 21 to 25, 2025 at the Sunway Hotel and Convention Centre under the theme of “Medicine and Science– Navigating through Changing Times”.
Sports medicine as a discipline does not have a robust body of evidence that can direct the management and care of players. In most areas of care, physicians must abide by expert consensus guidelines, though this speciality is continuously evolving due to advances in technology and science.
The Conference will aid physicians and experts in staying updated with the latest advancements and sharing knowledge on emerging trends such as artificial intelligence, genomics and women’s football.
The programme will also cover subjects relating to recreational football for all ages and players with special needs. It will include keynote addresses, lectures, symposia, poster presentations, and clinical workshops, while also touching upon topics such as shared decisions on Return to Play and other matters under contentions.
Moreover, pharmaceutical companies, medical, fitness and sports equipment manufacturers, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders from the field of sports science and medicine will have the opportunity to share their knowledge and showcase their cutting-edge developments at various exhibition booths at the conference.
Several pre-conference workshops will also be conducted from July 21 to 22, 2025, which will focus on topics such as Football Emergency Medicine, Sports Physiotherapy, Anti-Doping matters, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Guided Injection and Sports Cardiology following which, the conference will shift its attention to women and youth footballers.
The delegates' attendance at the conference is a low cost–high output sports medicine and science educational journey, while also providing an opportunity to explore the enchanting city of Kuala Lumpur. Encapsulating the country’s unique diversity, Kuala Lumpur stands out as an exceptional tourist destination. Often known as a “Food Paradise”, Kuala Lumpur boasts a rich tapestry of flavours, including Malay, Chinese and Indian cuisines. The Malaysian capital city also has a rich historical past, with several surrounding towns seeped in influences from Islamic traditions and European cultures from colonial times.
We look forward to welcoming you to Kuala Lumpur for the eighth edition of the AFC Medical Conference in 2025 – a high value and affordable medical conference and networking opportunity that you must not miss!
PREVIOUS CONFERENCES AND
THE 8TH EDITION
The AFC Medical Conference has steadily but strongly made its mark amongst the medical fraternity, with the number of attendees increasing with each edition of the prestigious event. The inaugural conference held in Tokyo in 1995 attracted 250 delegates, while the second edition in Kuala Lumpur in 2000 saw the participation of 341 medical practitioners.
In 2005, the AFC Medical Conference in Muscat had 357 attendees before the number increased to 455 when the event returned to Kuala Lumpur in 2011.
The 5th AFC Medical Conference New Delhi 2015 witnessed over 600 delegates while the Chengdu, China PR chapter in 2019 saw the number touch the 1000 mark.
The AFC Medical Conference has steadily but strongly made its mark amongst the medical fraternity, with the number of attendees increasing with each edition of the prestigious event. The inaugural conference held in Tokyo in 1995 attracted 250 delegates, while the second edition in Kuala Lumpur in 2000 saw the participation of 341 medical practitioners.
In 2005, the AFC Medical Conference in Muscat had 357 attendees before the number increased to 455 when the event returned to Kuala Lumpur in 2011.
The 5th AFC Medical Conference New Delhi 2015 witnessed over 600 delegates while the Chengdu, China PR chapter in 2019 saw the number touch the 1000 mark.
