OSTRC accredited as a FIFA Medical Center of Excellence

On May 15th distinguished representatives from FIFA, the Norwegian Sports Federation and Norwegian Department of Culture Affaires were gathered for the inauguration of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence.

From left: Mario Bizzini, Prof. Jiri Dvorak FIFA Chief Medical Officer, Prof. Rolad Bahr, Tove Paule, Prof. Lars Engebretsen, Sondre Kåfjord og Paul Glomsaker

Increase player´s health and prevent injuries

- "We want every player to fully benefit from state-of-the-art research in football medicine. Treatment and rehabilitation is important, but special emphazis is put on prevention of injuries, combined with optimization of performance" says Prof. Jiri Dvorak, FIFA Chief Medical Officer and Chairman of F-MARC.

Professor Jiri Dvorak and Professor Roald Bahr both highlighted the enormous effort which have been performed throughout the last years to push forward research in football medicine.

The 11+ is so far the milestone in football research. The 11+ is a 20 min comprehensive warm-up program designed to prevent the most common lower limb injuries in football and suited for all age groups and playing levels. This program was recently evaluated in a study performed by the OSTRC and showed a 35% risk reduction for all injuries (published in BMJ 2008).

To promote injury prevention and to reach the target population of coaches, athletes and parents, the OSTRC has also released an innovative, professionally developed website www.skadefri.no (“free from injury”). The 11+ program can be viewed here (Norwegian narration).

Ten official accredited FIFA Medical Centres of Excellence
The first official FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Schulthess clinic i Zurich was opened in May, 2005. The OSTRC was the 10th FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence. The other centers are:

- Adidas Sports Medicine Centre, Auckland/New Zealand

- Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of

Witwatersrand, Johannesburg/South Africa

- Orthopaedic Clinic Munich-Harlaching, Munich/Germany

- Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group

- Schulthess Clinic, Zurich, Switzerland

- St Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan

- UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science & Sports Medicine,

University of Cape Town and the Sports Science Institute of

South Africa

- Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center

- ASPETAR - Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital