The Nigeria Association of Sports Medicine (NASMED) has marked a monumental milestone in its existence, celebrating 30 years of enhancing its capabilities and improving the health and wellbeing of its population.
The anniversary event, held at the secretariat of Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) in Abuja from December 5 to 6, 2024, saw presentation of awards to eminent sports personalities for their outstanding performance and contribution to the development of sports medicine in Nigeria.
The highlight of the event was the unveiling of an ‘Impact Programme’ aiming at improving the capacity of sports medicine practitioners.
President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC), Engr. Habu Gumel a, informed that NASMED is an important body that ensures good health and safety of Nigerian Athletes which the NOC does not toil with.
“NASMED is a very important organisation for us and a member of the Nigeria Olympics Committee, that is why we are here to give them all the necessary support we can to ensure they excel because they do a lot for sports in terms of helping athletes to keep fit.
“Yesterday I was given an award by the organisation, which is very important to me and I’m here today to launch their impact programme for the year 2024 to 2028, which I told them that the programme is so important and they must ensure its full implementation.
We from the Nigeria Olympic Committee will give them all necessary support. As the president of NOC, I assure you that we will continue to support you, feel free to approach us any time and we will be available for you,” Gumel stated.
NASMED president, Dr. Olajide Joseph Adebola, said the association is not limited by geography and will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders to chart a new pact for sports medicine in Nigeria.
“NASMED is a body of health professionals in sports and medicine, it involves people of all colours and we are not limited by geography, though we are few, due shortages of workforce. What NASMED is charting as a new pact for sports medicine in Nigeria is one, capacity building, that is the impact programme that we just launched.
The aim is to ensure that we improve the capacity of current practitioners, those at the production level in the academic, I mean in the University, we will ensure that we have more universities who are providing training for the various categories of sports medicine.
“This year the Senate at the University of Ilorin, approved for the directorate of the landing center under the College of Medicine to start post graduate and masters science in sports and exercise medicine.
We will be working with that centre collaboratively to ensure we have sports physiotherapy, psychology, nutrition and other various disciplines as part of the effort to chart that new pact.
“Without production of professionals we wouldn’t have enough hands across Nigeria, knowing fully well that we have two category athletes – the elite athletes, those that compete competition for fame and recreational athletes- those that go to fitness and wellness centers, and part of making impact is to ensure that we collaborate with all stakeholders, including the National Sports Commission (NSC), Ministries of Youth, Women Affairs, Education and health and give opportunity to younger professionals,” Adebola stated.
NASMED was founded in November 1994 as an organisation of professionals in sports medicine that have realised the need to keep abreast with global trends in athletes care.
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