Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center

Intoduction

The International Olympic Committee have appointed nine research centers from across the world to become IOC Research Centers for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health for the period 2015 – 2018. The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center, one of the four inaugural centers appointed in 2009, is one of them.

- This represents an important milestone for us, says Professor Roald Bahr, the Chair of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (picture).

- During the past 6 years, we have benefitted enormously from the close collaboration with the IOC research center network, and we are proud to have served as a prime resource group for the IOC in research, consensus meetings and education.

Moving forward, we look forward to a close collaboration and the sharing of ideas with other top research centers in sports medicine globally.

The annual financial support from the IOC of CHF 100,000 is also important for us, says professor Bahr in response to the recognition.

The nine IOC Centers of Excellence are:

- Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention, Federation University Australia, Australia (first appointed in 2009)

- Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, University of Calgary, Canada (first appointed in 2009)

- Institute of Sports Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark (new)

- Yonsei University, Republic of Korea (South-Korea) (new)

- Amsterdam Collaboration on Health & Safety in Sports, VU University and Academic Medical Centre, Netherlands (new)

- Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Norway (first appointed in 2009)

- Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Qatar (new)

- Clinical Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Group, University of Cape Town, South Africa (first appointed in 2009)

- London’s Institute for Sports, Exercise and Health (ISEH) and National Centre for Sports Exercise and Medicine (NCSEM), United Kingdom (new)

4-year program

Over the next 4 years, these Centers will be tasked with researching, developing and implementing effective preventive and treatment methods for sports-related injuries and illnesses. They will receive financial support from the IOC and join an international network of expert scientists and clinicians in sports injury and disease prevention research.

- We are delighted to have appointed nine highly qualified centers from the four corners of the world to assist us with our mission, commented IOC Medical Commission Chair and Executive Board Member Professor Dr Ugur Erdener.

- These Centers have all demonstrated that they are at the forefront of research in sports medicine and are committed to our shared goal of using knowledge and resources to ensure the athletes wellbeing so that sportsmen and women can perform at their best level with minimal risks to their health.”

IOC Research Centers of Excellence since 2009

Since 2009, the IOC, under the leadership of its Medical Commission, has supported, and partnered with, established research centers from around the world which have demonstrated clinical, educational, and research expertise in the field of sports medicine and elite sports to promote the athletes’ health through the prevention of injury and illness.

Collaborating closely with the newly-appointed nine research centers, the IOC aims to further promote and protect the health of athletes by:

- Establishing long-term research programs on injury and disease prevention (including underlying studies on epidemiology, risk factors, and mechanisms)

- Fostering collaborative relationships with individuals, institutions and organization to improve athletes’ health

- Implementing applied, ongoing and novel research and development within the framework and long-term strategy of the IOC

- Setting up knowledge translation mechanisms to share scientific research results with the field throughout the Olympic Movement and sports community and to convert these results into concrete actions to protect the health of the athletes