Aspetar: We Are the Preferred Destination For World's Best Athletes, Ready for Qatar 2022

Aspetar: We Are the Preferred Destination For World's Best Athletes, Ready for Qatar 2022

Aspetar hospital has taken Aspire Zone as a place for the prestigious sporting institution. Aspetar's success has propelled it a landmark of the State of Qatar, and serves both Aspire Academy and the Qatari community in general, since it is the first-of-its-kind hospital in the region in the field of sports medicine services.

Aspetar became operational in 2007 to be identified as a premium medical center in 2009 by FIFA as part of the candidacy file for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 introduced by the State of Qatar in 2009. However, with less than one month and half remaining for the launch of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 competitions, the hospital harnesses all its medical services for all participating athletes in the tournament.

Qatar News Agency paid a field trip to the hospital and conducted an interview with Chief Executive Officer of Aspetar Dr. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari to have a glimpse into the latest preparations made to receive FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Dr. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari confirmed that Aspetar is one of the first hospitals that received the title of a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, in addition to receiving numerous international accreditations, and this vividly reflects the insight of officials in the State of Qatar in the preparation for the major sporting events such as world cup, pointing that by virtue of the high confident FIFA places in the potential of the medical teams of Aspetar, the orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Khalid Al Khelaifi has been solemnly selected in his capacity as the medical director for the athletes' services during the upcoming world cup tournament.

Dr. Al Kuwari said that Aspetar preparations are not a result of today, but it has been steadfastly working since the State of Qatar gained the tournament organization right, which is a source of pride to all people of Qatar as Arabs, noting that Aspetar is an integral part of the entire file of Qatar's organization of this historic World Cup that will be held for the first time in Middle East, adding that through the participation of Aspetar's crews in the previous tournaments, and the services afforded by the hospital to the major sporting events, Aspetar is fully ready to contribute to the success of the tournament as it has the potential to offer premium medical services as was the case before in other tournaments.

He outlined that Aspetar hospital will be dedicated to providing the medical services to the athletes exclusively during the tournament, where all sports medicine physicians, surgeons, cardiologists, nurses and pharmacists will operate through shift work system around the clock during days of the week to cover every eventuality and services the participating athletes may require, and will likewise proceed with maintaining other services.

Chief Executive Officer of Aspetar indicated that some aptitude doctors of the hospital have been assigned to work as medical directors in a number of world cup stadiums, where Aspetar will provide its services, during the event, to approximately 10 participating teams in the tournament who have a limited medical support, which will enable them to use additional medical crew to directly work with their teams, clarifying that a crew from the nurses will be in charge of sorting the inbound phone calls to ensure athletes and their delegations, including matches' officials receive the rapid services in Aspetar, adding that the medical crews will keep supporting the clubs and Qatari associations during the tournament through National Sports Medicine Programme (NSMP) which comprises over 400 personnel from Aspetar, and the teams will continue the training process and they will actually require services.

In his statement to QNA, Al Kuwari outlined that Aspetar will continue providing its services to all athletes registered under the umbrella of the Qatar Olympic Committee and Qatar Stars League who will require persistent medical support, including surgery patients who need constant and decisive care after surgery operations during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, pointing out that Aspetar's role will not be confined only to providing the medical services, but will go beyond that to provide the services when required to support the participating teams with additional medical equipment and utilize the hospital's facilities in the clubs that have been designated for the training sites of the participating teams during the tournament.

He said that FIFA Medical Committee highlighted the injuries handled by Aspetar and excelled in dealing with them, such as cardiovascular diseases and concussion injuries, to be of particular importance during the tournament, stressing that Sports Cardiology includes accessing to the service remotely through utilizing Telemedicine and the state-of-the-art technologies for the cardiovascular diseases via the mobile clinic available in the teams accommodation hotels when required, indicating that Aspetar's Sports Dentistry will provide courses to the health care providers who will be present during the tournament. 

Regarding the excellence of Aspetar hospital, being one of the best institutions in sports medicine research, Dr. Al Kuwari explained in his interview with QNA that scientific research is of great importance to Aspetar, as the development of scientific knowledge significantly improves the clinical practice of athletes, as Aspetar conducts research and educational programs in the field of sports medicine, orthopedics and sports science.

He added that Aspetar is constantly working to improve the health and well-being of individuals involved in sports, athletes and the public, through high-quality research that supports Aspetar's vision of becoming a global leader in sports medicine and exercise sciences, providing content for educational activities for practitioners in Qatar and around the world.

Al Kuwari said that in 2014, Aspetar was officially recognized as an International Olympic Committee (IOC) for protecting athletes’ health and preventing injuries and illnesses in sport, and research activities have been conducted throughout history on various topics related to the Aspetar mission that have contributed to enriching clinical practice, not only in Qatar but also around the world, in addition, Aspetar staff is often invited to chair international scientific conferences in various fields of sports medicine, orthopedics and sports science.

HE explained that since its inception, Aspetar has published hundreds of articles and scientific research at an average rate of more than 100 scientific research and articles per year in various fields, thus becoming a pioneer in research related to fasting and exercise, as well as the impact of hot weather in sports, in addition to scientific articles and research that made Aspetar one of the most active hospitals in the region and even in the world in the field of scientific research, especially related to football.

He added that Aspetar offers its services to all professional and amateur athletes, giving priority to practicing athletes in the State of Qatar, however Aspetar is also open to elite athletes in the world, where it spares no effort to give its best and thus become the destination of choice for World Athletes.
Al Kuwari stressed that Aspetar, thanks to these efforts, is moving steadily towards its goal of being a global reference in sports medicine, exercise science and sports excellence worldwide; therefore, the development of its therapeutic services is continuous and regular through the use of the latest technologies, as well as focusing on scientific research, selection and recruitment of skilled and distinguished doctors and experts in the world.

He confirmed that this harmony between human resources and capabilities, in addition to the expansions that occur in the hospital annually, both in terms of facilities and services, all contribute to the development of the hospital's therapeutic services.

He reiterated that athletes from various sports come to Aspetar to seek treatment or medical advice, due to the reputation enjoyed by this medical edifice, and recently many stars of international clubs and others have chosen Aspetar as the best destination for treatment and recovery, and this confirms the position occupied by Qatari hospitals among the elite medical institutions in the world and makes us proud.

In this regard, Al Kuwari explained that there is a number of official agreements concluded by major teams with Aspetar, such as Paris Saint-Germain and the English club Tottenham, as Aspetar is the medical partner of many international teams and national teams, stressing that the messages of praise Aspetar receives from sports stars on an ongoing basis are conclusive proof of what the hospital offers to world sports.

He noted that Aspetar's principle is not to refer to themselves as the best, but to let those who benefited from the hospital's service describe the quality of service they received. 

Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine hospital in Doha has attracted various sports stars from all over the world, especially football players, to undergo medical examinations, treatments and rehabilitation, which proves it is one of the largest hospitals in the world in these specialties.

The surgeons of Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Qatar were able to use a new therapeutic technique that is the first of its kind for the treatment and restoration of knee cartilage, as the first medical institution to use this technique in the region.

The technique, used by Aspetar surgeons, is the first single-stage knee cartilage repair operation for isolated cartilage cell transplantation to be performed in a hospital outside Europe. 

In his interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Chief Executive Officer of Aspetar Hospital, Dr. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari said that when we talk about Aspetar as a global medical institution that earns the confidence of the sports community, we start from the reality we live in. He highlighted that the hospital has a host of efficient cadres among the best in the world medical stage, whether in terms of scientific qualification or field experience.

He added that the requests submitted to the hospital for the treatment of international sports stars affirm its advance in the implementation of its development plan and confirm its global leadership. 

He stressed the hospital's keenness on data privacy, highlighting that a prior consent from an injured player was mandatory to reveal they were being treated in the hospital. 

He added that some clubs prefer not to announce the names of their injured players who are being treated in Doha.

Aspetar provides medical services at an average of 60 sporting events annually, including major sporting events such as the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha, the 2017 UCI Road World Championships, the 24th World Men's Handball Championship, the 2015 World Aquatics Championships, and 2015 AIBA World Boxing Championships. 

Among the tournaments also come the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and annual international men's and women's tournaments in tennis, basketball, golf, volleyball, table tennis, fencing, squash and equestrian and the Doha IAAF Diamond League.

Aspetar also received many awards, including the fifth Sheikh Fahad Hiroshima-Asia Sports Medicine and Science Award as the best research project in Asia, and  the sixth Sheikh Fahad Hiroshima-Asia Sports Medicine and Science Award as the best medical project in Asia.

Aspetar was also awarded the 2017 Irving Glick Award of Excellence from the Women's Tennis Association, the AFC Medical Award, the Excellence Award at the FIMS 2016 World Congress of Sports Medicine, and the Football for All Award from the Qatar Football Association. 

Aspetar conducted a comprehensive medical screening for more than 17,000 athletes worldwide, and published more than 1,200 scientific research in 249 scientific journals around the world since it was opened.

More than 8000 surgeries have been performed in Aspetar since Dec. 2008, in addition to holding 10 major international medical conferences, and 20 medical conferences in cooperation with renowned international sports and educational institutions. 

In 2015, Aspetar was accredited by the International Handball Federation as a reference center for handball players and referees worldwide. In the same year, it was awarded the official Accreditation Canada Diamond Level Status. 

Aspetar received in 2019 official accreditation by the FIFA Medical Center of Excellence, as a center of excellence in sports medicine.

Aspetar officials are proud that it is the first of its kind in the Gulf region, specialized in sports medicine and orthopedics; It provides comprehensive and high-level medical services with the highest international quality standards for the treatment of sports injuries, with its best medical facilities worldwide, and the most skilled doctors, surgeons, and international researchers in the field of sports medicine.

Aspetar has been garnering praise from the world's top football stars in the most important European and Arab leagues and teams. PSG and French football superstar Kylian Mbappe said "Aspetar is incredible and the infrastructure is perfect to work and recover, everything is optimized for the athletes at its best."

His teammate, Brazilian superstar Neymar, and former teammate Julian Draxler were also full of praise for Aspetar. 

In an article written last month, L'Equipe said that Aspetar was the secret to Ousmanne Dembele rediscovering his form and returning to the French national team squad. Aspetar played a key role in the player overcoming a series of injuries that had kept him out of 117 matches for club and country. 

Aspetar also has agreements in place with football national teams, such as the Algerian national team. Under the agreement with the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), Aspetar will provide its world-class medical services to Algerian football players.

Aspetar also helped in the rehabilitation of many tennis superstars like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Serena Williams.

Source: QNA