This is the first time participants of the AFC President's Travelling Fellow for Football Medicine experienced how medical and anti-doping methods were put in place during the AFC U23 Championship Thailand 2020.

NSIM will now be part of seven established medical centres under the AFC Medical Centre of Excellence which was launched in 2018 to provide better healthcare for footballers in Asia while looking at ways to improve sports medicine research.

The three-day programme, organised by the TFF, saw participation from 29 clubs, national team doctors and physiotherapists.

The participants were exposed to theoretical and practical sessions, on-pitch emergency medicine and anti-doping procedures.

The two-day course will see from 14 medical officers from 11 Member Associations go through a series of theoretical and practical sessions, relevant to the duties and responsibilities of AFC Medical Officers in AFC tournaments.

The programme, which was recommended by FIFA with the Chairperson of the AFC Medical Committee during the FIFA Medical Committee Meeting in Zurich in March 2018, is aimed at training Medical & Doping Control Officers on strategies to fight doping and provide updates on the current trends in the doping control programme.

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 Chennai-based facility which strives to be a dedicated world-class centre for sports science, medical services and education in India, has met all the criteria including the AFC guidelines, and is the first facility in the country to receive the AFC’s recognition.

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa presented the award to CSS Director Dr. S. Arumugam at the accreditation ceremony, which was also attended by AFC General Secretary Dato’ Windsor John.

Dr. Arumugam expressed his gratitude and also said: “Football is a growing sport in India, and this recognition gives us the opportunities to collaborate with leaders in the football industry, and most importantly, attain best practices and guidelines that would benefit the athletes.”

AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who presented the award to KLSMC Founder and Director, Dr. Saw Kay Yong and renowned Sports Medicine Consultant, Dato’ Dr. Gurcharan Singh with Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) President Dato’ Hamidin Amin also present, lauded the spirit of partnership to set new medical benchmarks.

He said: “The AFC Vision and Mission has made clear our desire to ensure the success of Asian football and sports medicine plays an essential role in delivering those objectives.

“The AFC continues to take on a leadership role in best medical practices and through the ever-growing network of the AFC Medical Centres of Excellence, we are committed to expanding the scope and access for players to obtain world-class medical attention and treatment.

"It also paves the way to enhance the capabilities of medical practitioners through greater partnerships, sharing of scientific knowledge and capacity building.

“On behalf of the Asian football family, I would like to commend KLSMC and host association FAM, for sharing the AFC’s Vision to protect and promote the health and wellbeing of our players and their dedication in elevating the standards of football and sports medicine in Asia.”