Meeting on the sidelines of the 6th AFC Medical Conference in the Chinese city of Chengdu, the Committee heard that due to the rapidly evolving nature in the field of science and medicine, there is a need for the highly regarded event to be held biennially rather than every four years.

With interest already registered to host the Conference’s next edition, it was also recommended that the theme should continue to be football specific and focused on the latest and current evidence-based practices.

AFC Medical Committee Chairman Dato’ Dr Gurcharan Singh, who led the discussion said: “The popularity and success, as well as the ever-evolving nature of football medicine, has necessitated the possibility for the AFC Medical Conference to be staged every two years instead of every four which it currently is.

Held on the sidelines of the 6th AFC Medical Conference in the Chinese city of Chengdu, the AFC Football Medicine Awards are designed to acknowledge and recognise the contribution of medical professionals to the development of football and, at the same time, serve as an inspiration to others to continue their involvement in the game at all levels.

Among the winners was medical luminary Professor Haruhito Aoki from Japan who was honoured with the AFC Football Medicine Merit Award and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Dr. Zohreh Haratian who received the AFC Young Medical Officer Award.

With Professor Aoki unable to attend Dr. Tsuguo Morikawa received the award on his behalf.

In addition, some 25 other professionals received AFC Distinguished Gold, Silver and Bronze Service Awards for outstanding service to their respective professions.

The highly-acclaimed conference, which will conclude on Friday, March 8, provides cutting edge, evidence based scientific information in sports and medicine courtesy of a plethora of experts from numerous fields.

Boasting the theme "Football and Sports Medicine – the Challenging Horizon”, the three-day quadrennial event - a co-operation between the Asian Football Confederation, FIFA, the Chinese Football Association and the Chengdu Football Association – will attract hundreds of delegates from around the world to Chengdu's Century City International Convention Centre for the latest updates and advancement in football medicine.

Information on the conference can be obtained by clicking on the links below:

In March 2019, China will be the fifth country to host the sixth edition of this prestigious and highly-acclaimed conference and I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to our esteemed guests from the medical community as well as friends from around the globe to the beautiful city of Chengdu.

Modern football has evolved tremendously and is now played with immense speed, intensity and requires greater endurance, which in turn significantly increases the physical and mental demands on players, particularly at the elite level.

The AFC, through its Vision and Mission, underlined our ambitions to ensure the success of our players and teams on the world’s biggest stages and the role of sport science and medicine plays an essential role in delivering those aspirations.

It is, therefore, vital for medical practitioners and experts to dedicate more research, explore more areas for innovation and take a more integrated approach to enhancing the level of protection of players and at the same, ensuring an environment which allows players to attain new levels of achievements on the pitch.

The conference, held every four years, continues to draw an ever-increasing number of participants and has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 1995 in Tokyo, Japan.

With Chengdu's Century City International Convention Centre (CCICC) playing host to this year’s prestigious gathering, pre-conference events including team physician, sports physiotherapy and anti-doping courses as well as workshops on football emergency medicine, traditional complementary medicine and practical examinations of the knee, ankle and hamstring are just some of the highlights in store for those attending.

Ms. Yan Jing, Chengdu City Deputy General Secretary, Mr. Gu Jian Ming, EXCO Member of Chinese Football Association and President of Chengdu Football Association and Chairman of the AFC Medical Committee Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh were among the dignitaries present to inaugurate the event.

The new and enhanced logo paints a neutral monochromatic hue, to better represent the region, while the shape of the ball icon has also been revised to showcase the vibrancy of the beautiful game.

With the new visual identity now unveiled, planning for the highly-acclaimed conference is taking shape after the Scientific Committee for the 6th AFC Medical Conference Chengdu 2019 held its first meeting in the Sichuan capital on Tuesday. Among the important decisions deliberated were the variety and scope of topics to be included as well as the quality of experts for the final programme. 

“We are pleased with the positive strides that Asian football continues to make in the domain of medical science and it is only fitting that the next edition is taking place in China – where football development has been growing exponentially in recent years.

“The medical conference is a flagship event for AFC in the field of sports science and medicine and our aim each time has been to improve from the previous edition. I have every confidence that Chengdu will continue in this tradition and we will witness a truly enriching and engaging conference in 2019.”  

Following the highly-successful 5th AFC Medical Conference in New Delhi, India, in 2015, China will be the fifth country to host the prestigious conference after Japan (1995), Malaysia (2000 and 2011) and Oman (2005).

Sharing his delight at the prospect of hosting the conference, Chengdu City Deputy General Secretary Ms. Yan Jing said: “Football is fast emerging as part of the social fabric in Chengdu. Our people share a passion for the game and we are very proud to be able to host one of the biggest sports medicine conferences in Asia.

“‘Chengdu is a wonderful metropolis with several breathtaking attractions and we are delighted to extend the warmth and hospitality of our people and more importantly, the organisational excellence of our city as a hub for the Continent’s medical community.”

Chinese FA EXCO Member and President of Chengdu FA Mr. Gu Jian Ming, echoed Ms. Yan Jing sentiments, calling for the support from the medical community as well as the relevant stakeholders in China.

“Football development is certainly part of the national agenda in China and we share bold aspirations for the future. Our immediate aim is to professionalise the approach to football, and medical science encompasses one of the key areas of focus, which will ultimately lead to the success of our teams and players.

“We are fully committed to ensuring a memorable conference which will leave a lasting impact not only on the medical community, but the larger football community throughout the Continent.”   

Photo: Chinese Football Association