AFC Medicine Fellowship Initiative Wins Praise

Kuala Lumpur, February 10 (QNA) - The four travelling fellows have hailed the AFC President's Travelling Fellowship for Football Medicine initiative. The quartet Friday told Asian Football Confederation (AFC) that they are impressed with the programme and they have learnt a lot throughout the month-long programme which started in January. Three doctors from Malaysia, Oman and Iran and a physiotherapist from Thailand are the pioneers in the programme which was launched in Qatar, the first venue of the fellowship, before they proceeded to Thailand and then Malaysia where the programme concludes today. Football Association of Malaysia' visiting sports doctor, Dr. Mohd Zaidi Salleh said, "It is good for us football doctors to link with experts in other areas such as physiotherapy, psychology, research and so on so that we know what s developing there. "We can also study how other countries practise sports medicine and being based in Malaysia, I may be able to network with colleagues in the other centres, in Thailand and Qatar, in our practice of sports medicine." Thai national team s physiotherapist Tanaqon Sasayanant added, "I'm inspired by the work of physiotherapists in Qatar and Malaysia and can obviously see their dedication to their patients. "During this fellowship, I see how physiotherapists persevere in finding solutions to the challenging problems of their patients. "This programme also allows me to build a network where I can share knowledge and experience with physiotherapists in Malaysia and Qatar." Dr. Tohid Seif Barghi, Assistant Professor and Sports Medicine Specialist of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, said, "This fellowship has increased my confidence and ability to practise football medicine... I am also impressed with the medical and doping control standards in the three hosting countries. This programme has indeed enhanced my knowledge and enthusiasm to help footballers remain in top form for their game." Oman FA's Sports Medicine Committee Member Dr. Abeer Mohammed Ali Al Macki said, "I'm new in football medicine so I've found this fellowship programme really useful in that I can see how this area of medicine is rapidly growing. "This programme really benefits me and my country and I hope I will be better able to dispense with my duty as a football doctor in Oman." (QNA)