Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
New Delhi: The 5th AFC Medical Conference closed to critical acclaim on Wednesday, following a highly successful three-day programme in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
With the aim of achieving football excellence through evidence based sports science and medicine, the prestigious event was attended by some 600 delegates and participants from 67 countries and featured a plethora of lectures, symposiums and free papers amid a backdrop of knowledge and information exchange.
The conference, which has been given a resounding thumbs up by those participating, also featured the inaugural AFC Medical Awards with 22 professionals - including FIFA Chief Medical Officer Professor Jiri Dvorak and Singapore’s Dr. Krishnamoorthy Sittampalam - being recognised for their endeavours.
Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh, Chairman of the AFC Medical Committee and the Scientific Committee hailed the success of the conference, saying: "“Among all the five AFC Medical Conferences held so far, this was the best ever in terms of participation, quality of experts and topics delivered.
“When we were in the midst of planning this conference we thought long and hard about what topics to include, but it is clear that we chose the correct subject matter, because it was the subject matter that related directly to you, the participants.
“And that is where the success of the conference lies, because without a good variety of topics and excellent speakers we would not have had the success we have had. I thank you one and all.”
Kushal Das, General Secretary of the All India Football Federation, echoed Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan’s sentiments, noting: “I was very excited and enthused by the level of participation during this conference – the first of its kind in India.
“With the event now concluded, there can be little doubt that a conference of this kind will have been very beneficial to us all.”
In addition to the glowing testimonies lavished on those involved in organising the elite gathering, Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan also warmly thanked the 5th AFC Medical Conference’s official partner ASPETAR for their magnificent support and backing throughout.
As a further appreciation of the support rendered to make the conference the undoubted success it was, Appreciation Awards were formally presented to UEFA, F-MARC (FIFA – Medical Assessment & Research Centre), ZOLL Medical Corporation as well as SRASCC (the Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Science Centre).