Chief Medical Officer Prof. Jiri Dvorak to leave FIFA - MEDICAL
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FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer and Chairman of FIFA’s Medical Assessment and Research Centre (F-MARC) Prof. Jiri Dvorak will leave FIFA on 2 November 2016 after 22 years.
“FIFA has been a pioneer in sport medicine and I am proud to have been leading this process for more than two decades," said Prof. Dvorak. "We moved from the concept of medicine for football to football for health, putting the health of players in the centre of the football community and using the power of football to promote health awareness in society. Prevention was central to all of the projects which I initiated and performed with my medical colleagues from all around the world. Particularly the FIFA 11+ which aims to prevent injuries. With this programme, we provided the world with scientific evidence that injuries can be prevented in women, men and young children by up to 50% if carried out properly. That means potential savings of hundreds millions of dollars annually. I sincerely hope that the new management of FIFA will take my legacy to the football community, and of course, I am available to serve if needed or if advice is required.”
Michel D’Hooghe, Chairman of the FIFA Medical Committee, said: “FIFA wants to thank Jiri Dvorak for his strong commitment towards the progress of our organisation in the field of health and medicine. The projects he led, such as the “FIFA 11 for Health” and “FIFA 11+”, did not only contribute to the development of medical awareness but also raised the level of requirements and the quality of medical teams among member associations. The commitment and skill of Prof. Dvorak brought an important scientific dimension to FIFA’s medical work. FIFA will build upon his work to continue reinforcing its strategy in this field, particularly in the fight against doping.”
The new head of FIFA’s medical department, which is in charge of the medical services and the anti-doping programme, will be communicated in due course. For more information on FIFA’s medical and anti-doping activities, please visit FIFA.com.