FIMS mail - 2nd edition 2013 (Lausanne, 16 July 2013)

Message from the President

Lausanne, 16 July  2013

Dear Colleagues,

I have just returned from the 11th International Congress of Sports Medicine and the 9th Greek - Cypriot Congress of Sports Medicine which incorporated a FIMS Team Physician Instructor Course and a FΙMS Team Physician Development Course entitled “Emergency & First Aid in Sports Medicine” - Hands On Training. The Congress and the Courses held at Petros Nomikos Conference Center in Santorini 27-29 June 2013 were a big success as the Greek colleagues joined and seized the opportunity to engage with internationally renowned speakers and instructors.

The interaction of faculty and participants from different national, cultural and sporting backgrounds created a unique learning and teaching experience. It is events like this that represent and nurture the spirit of FIMS, and I would like to thank and at the same time congratulate the Sports Medicine Association of Greece to the excellent organisation. With their activities and achievements since the constitution, the Greek colleagues have built one of the most active FIMS Member National Associations, focusing on promoting excellence both in scientific and educational aspects. It is only through the engagement and support of its Member National Associations that FIMS may play its role as the international umbrella organisation of sports medicine.

The events on Santorini were also exemplary in that they demonstrated the importance and feasibility of uniting different organisations in sports medicine to achieve common goals. The congress and courses were jointly supported by and conducted under the auspices of FIMS, the International Olympic Committee and the Hellenic Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Health and of Education and Religious Affairs, Culture and Sports and the University of Thessaloniki. Sports medicine as a multidisciplinary specialty is predestined to initiate and mediate such cooperations both on national and international level.

The responsibilities of sports medicine are continuously increasing in recreational as much as in competitive sports, and, consequently, it remains of utmost importance that FIMS is able to increase its efforts in disseminating the principles of motivation, performance and, health aspects of all people engaged in sport and physical activity through educational and other initiatives. We will however only be able to do so in a collaborative effort with all our members and the other stakeholders involved in the many aspects of our discipline.

With my very best wishes,

Fabio Pigozzi, MD
FIMS President

FIMS Collaborating Centres of Sports Medicine

Following the evaluation of the first submitted applications by the Review Committee in autumn last year, FIMS is proud to add two more institutions as newly designated FIMS Collaborating Centres of Sports Medicine (FIMS-CCSM):

Iran

Isfahan Sports Medicine Association, Isfahan. 
Iran Sports Medicine Federation Central Headquarter, Teheran.

Please be aware that FIMS has invited new applications by colleagues from centres worldwide which may be submitted at any time from now to the end of July. All necessary information and the application form for download may be found on the FIMS website. The Review Committee will evaluate the received applications during August and September and submit their recommendations to the FIMS Executive Committee meeting in October in Russia. Based on the ExCo decisions, the newly designated centres will be announced with the last FIMSmail of the year. We wish to once again encourage members everywhere to apply and become part of the network of FIMS-CCSMs.

FIMS-ACSM Consensus Panel on pre-participation evaluation in sports

As announced in the last FIMSmail, the FIMS-ACSM consensus panel meeting took place on 1 June 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, in conjunction with the 2013 ACSM Annual Meeting / Exercise Is Medicine World Congress and comprised carefully selected experts identified by the ACSM. The meeting was chaired by Prof. William Roberts (ACSM) and Prof. Herbert Löllgen (FIMS). FIMS was further represented by Prof. Antonio Spataro and Dr. Andre Debruyne. The goal of this first meeting of the group was to identify the common objectives of a PPE as performed in different regions and countries. These were defined as follows: a) Safe participation in sports for children, adolescents, all adults incl. seniors; b) Early detection of medical problems, esp. cardiac abnormalities but also problems with other organs, which may disqualify for high performance sports activities or competitive (professional) sports; c) Identify conditions that restrict sports activities or remove unnecessary restrictions; d) Identify conditions that require treatment or intermittent rehabilitation; e) Counseling subjects on prevention of diseases by regular physical activity and training; f) Counseling on conditions such as drug abuse, quit smoking, or alcohol abuse etc. in context with lifestyle and physical activity; g) Avoidance of cardiac emergencies and deaths in all athletes.

The panel is currently working on the first draft of the consensus which is to be expected to be published before the end of this year. 

FIMS further intensifies relationship with UNESCO

Dr Andre Debruyne represented FIMS at the fifth UNESCO World Sport Ministers Conference which has been held in Berlin from 28 to 30 May 2013, organized by the German Federal Ministry of the Interior in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The conference brought together sports ministers and other government representatives from over 130 countries, law enforcement agencies, experts, researchers and non-governmental organizations involved in sport. As a result of several years of negotiations, the conference adopted the Berlin Declaration, an extensive list of recommendations to curb corruption in sport, share the socio-economic benefits of sport more equitably and ensure access to sport for all (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002211/221114e.pdf). The Berlin Declaration emphasizes that sport is a fundamental right for all, regardless of ethnic origin, gender, age, impairment, cultural and social background, economic resources or sexual orientation. It also underscores the threat to the integrity of sport from transnational organized crime, doping, the manipulation of sports competitions and corruption, which, like sport itself, has become a global phenomenon.

The FIMS president participated in the 3rd International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development from the 5th to the 6th June 2013 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, United States. The forum announced the creation of a United Nations International Day of Sport and Physical Activity intended to build on efforts made to mainstream sport in policy-making at all levels and to advocate the UN’s contribution to education, human development, healthy lifestyles and a peaceful world. A call for action urged governments to ensure that adequate financial resources are made available for quality education in primary and secondary school programmes. Further calls were made to increase investment in the development of infrastructures and the provision of safe and accessible public spaces for physical activity and sport; for all sports events to include social development legacies as part of their planning and implementation; for the development and strengthening of evaluation and monitoring tools on the social and economic impact of sport and finally for more interdisciplinary research to provide scientific evidence and best practices (http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Olympism_in_action/DECLARATION-final-eng.pdf). UNESCO extended a further invitation to FIMS to attend the 4th Session of the Conference of Parties to the International Convention against Doping in Sport at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, from 19 to 20 September 2013.

FIMS Executive Committee meeting in May

On 16th May 2013, the FIMS Executive Committee met in Salvador, Brazil, in conjunction with the 25th Brazilian Congress of Sports and Exercise Medicine. Next to routine agenda points such as finances and administration, and the contents of this newsletter, an item more intensely discussed was the electronic International Journal of Sports Medicine and the Sports Medicine Update delivered for free as a service to all FIMS members. It was decided to conduct a survey among the readership particularly with regard to the value of the regular update. We would already now like to urge our valued members to actively participate in this survey which will be implemented within the upcoming months.

FIMS courses at the 11th International Congress of Sports Medicine and 9th Greek-Cypriot Congress of Sports Medicine on Santorini, Greece

This event organized by the Sports Medicine Association of Greece included a FIMS Team Physician Instructor Course which saw the participation of 22 colleagues – the first FIMS Instructor Course ever attracting so many attendants. The day evolved around the organization of educational courses from the announcement over budgeting and social events, the understanding of the educational cycle and theory in order to build learner-centred curricula and to enable interactive learning, and further subjects on course planning implementation. A FΙMS Team Physician Development Course entitled “Emergency & First Aid in Sports Medicine” - Hands On Training was held at the Petros Nomikos Conference Center in Santorini and saw 51 participants actively engaging in discussions and practical exercises. These courses have been organized by the Sports Medicine Association of Greece together with the FIMS Educational Commission. The educational experience on Santorini was completed by the 11th International Congress of Sports Medicine and 9th Greek-Cypriot Congress of Sports Medicine covering the whole spectrum of sports medicine. A number of the 243 Greek colleagues benefitted from also participating in the FIMS courses and described this condensed, multi-facetted education as a highly valuable and stimulating experience. We would like to remind all National Member Associations that FIMS offers extensive resources to organize such courses in any country internationally. Sharing the positive experience in Greece with you is meant as an encouragement and hopefully motivates other associations to follow suit.

FIMS SportAccord membership

The FIMS President met Mr. Raffaele Chiulli, President of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) and member of the SportAccord Council, the executive organ of SportAccord, on 10 July 2013 to define the final aspects for the membership of FIMS in SportAccord and to initiate closer collaboration between the two organizations. The FIMS Executive Committee at their meeting in Brazil had decided to nominate Dr Mario Zorzoli as the liaison representing FIMS at SportAccord. 

Publications

Get your copy of the new FIMS Team Physician Manual

As announced in the last FIMSmail, the long-awaited fully revised and updated third edition of the FIMS Team Physician Manual is now available to Colleagues worldwide. The Team Physician Manual has become a reference for physicians, physiotherapists and any medical professional working in sport. In compact format, it offers a complete guide to the background knowledge, practical techniques and professional skills required to master best practice in sports medicine. Well illustrated, with step-by-step guidance, plus text boxes and checklists for quick reference, the Team Physician Manual covers every key area of sports medicine, from the pre-participation examination to rehabilitation. The manual assists in the diagnosis and treatment of all common sports injuries, offering practice- and evidence-based advice on field side assessment, diagnosis and treatment. It also provides the required background in physiology, nutrition, anti-doping issues, the prevention and psychology of injury and addresses specific target groups.

Written and edited by a team of highly regarded FIMS exponents from North and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia, the Team Physician Manual is a ‘must have’ for any colleague in sports medicine. We would like to thank Lyle Micheli for his untiring work to realize this further edition of our flagship education product. The Team Physician Manual is available for $71.95 in paperback and $170 in hardback.

Follow the below links to browse through the content and order online are:

• http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415505338/
• http://www.amazon.com/Team-Physician-Manual-International-Federation/dp/041550533X

Upcoming events

• FIMS Executive Committee meeting 24 - 27 October 2013, Sochi, Russia;
• 33^rd FIMS World Congress of Sports Medicine 18 – 22 June 2014 in Quebec City, Canada.
• 34^th FIMS World Congress of Sports Medicine 30 September - 2 October 2016 at the Congress Valley in Istanbul, Turkey.