Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center

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OSTRC trains Olympic sports medicine doctors

Intoduction

Twenty-three physicians from all over the world traveled to Oslo to officially finish their 2-year distance-learning program in sports medicine. This is the first group of a total of 60 doctors to complete the new Sports Medicine Diploma offered by the IOC.

"As part of its commitment to supporting the health and performance of athletes and to the continuing professional development of those who care for them, the IOC Medical Commission now offers a postgraduate-level program in Sports Medicine", professor Lars Engebretsen (picture, photo Andreas B. Johansen) comments."

Professor Engebretsen is the head of science and research in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and co-chair of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center.

"The program is designed primarily to meet the needs of team physicians from the National Olympic Committees (NOC) and International Federations (IFs)", he adds.

The Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center and Olympiatoppen hosted 23 physicians for an intensive 3-day workshop April 27-29, offering hands-on training in sports injury evaluation. The OSTRC is one of 4 sites in the world along with Rome, Calgary and Pretoria, designated by the IOC to train physicians to IOC standards.

Following this new learning program, the 3 days in Oslo were spent on an exam, lectures, and workshops.

One of the aims for these days was also to facilitate building a network of excellence to get doctors best prepared for the needs of being a team doctor.

While here, they went through sessions related to all aspects of sports injury treatment and prevention including emergency procedures, concussion testing, nutritional advices/doping, travel medicine, cardiovascular screening, roles and responsibilities of being a team doc.

“The fact we were selected for this is a recognition that we are among the world leaders in sports medicine research, clinical care and education,” said professor Roald Bahr (picture), chair of the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center and Chief Medical Officer of Olympiatoppen.

“It’s an honor to have a group of physicians like this here, training with us. This provides the type of experiential learning they’ll need when they work with athletes and sports teams in their home countries.”

A total of 60 physicians are completing the first 2-year IOC sports medicine diploma to be offered. They will graduate at a ceremony at the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland in May.

The 23 who came to the Oslo arrived from Japan, India, Iran, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Uganda, Lithuania, Egypt, Ireland, Greece, and Norway.

Read more about the IOC Diploma in Sports Medicine.