POSTED: Sunday September 9th 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Player health and a doping-free event take priority for FIFA medical team

FIFA Women’s World Cup China 2007

Effective prevention is a top priority for the FIFA medical department in the run-up to and during the FIFA Women?s World Cup China 2007. The scope of sports medicine encompasses much more than the battle against doping, with doping tests now conducted before and during the event as standard (two players from each team will be tested after every match). ?The players? health is the most important concern. As the FIFA medical team, we take our responsibility very seriously and, in recent months, we have been focusing on women?s football and the specific needs of female players,? explained Professor Dvorak, FIFA?s chief medical officer and chairman of the FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC).

Therefore, Dvorak has recommended that the comprehensive pre-tournament assessment that F-MARC introduced as a mandatory requirement for the men?s teams in the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany? also be carried out with the teams in this year?s Women?s World Cup. The questionnaire used in 2006 has been amended to include specific questions about women?s health. F-MARC hopes it will be completed by as many teams as possible to help further extend the scarce knowledge currently available on female players.

Despite the continually increasing number of women across all cultures and ages playing football, research into the medical aspects of the game has continued to concentrate on men, with few studies looking into women?s issues. F-MARC has now published a scientific supplement to the

British Journal of Sports Medicine that presents, for the very first time, a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on female player?s injuries, injury prevention, nutrition and exercise-induced hormone disturbances. ?But we also raise a number of questions that still need to be investigated if we are to improve the general health of female players at different levels,? says Professor Dvorak. ?We sincerely hope that we can stimulate further research and promote football as a safe and health-enhancing leisure activity for all women.?

Doctors are not the only ones who need to know more about football medicine for women either. Players, coaches and their entourages also have countless questions regarding the beautiful game. The recently published Health and Fitness for the Female Football Player ? a guide for players and coaches addresses all aspects of injury prevention for women, especially from a practical point of view, and also covers nutrition and bone protection. One chapter gives answers to the most frequently asked questions that FIFA receives on the health and well-being of female players. The booklet is available for download from the Player?s Health section of FIFA?s official website, www.FIFA.com.

FIFA has been active in the sphere of sports medicine ever since the mid-1970s. F-MARC was established in 1994 and the first FIFA medical centre opened in Zurich in May 2005. The centre offers a football-specific diagnosis service, as well as therapy, with second opinions on illnesses and injuries forming a key part of the service. The medical centre also assists world football?s governing body in its long-term fight against doping.

Note for the accredited media of the FIFA Women?s World Cup 2007:

FIFA chief medical officer Professor Jiri Dvorak and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) general director David Howman will be holding a joint media briefing on 11 September 2007 at 18:00 local time in the press conference room of the Shanghai Hongkou Football Stadium.

Further information from:  
FIFA Media Department ? Tel.: +41-43/222 7272 ? Fax: +41-43/ 222 7373 or E-mail: media@fifa.org

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