Eight years after the maiden edition, the second edition of the National Sports Medicine Course, organised by the Sports Medicine department of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking with press men, the Director of Sports Medicine in the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Dr. Paul Onyeudo said, “Sports Medicine is relatively critical and for Nigeria to develop In sports, it is extremely important to have the necessary sports medicine and science report because without it, our athletes will find it almost impossible to get to that podium.”
Onyeudo said the essence of the course is to get the states and their professionals trained, stating that, “Sports Medicine is not just about creating Medicine or rehabilitation but in modern times, it is also about performance therefore the course is needed to share experience and gather new knowledge.”
The Director also appreciated the Minister of Youth and Sports development Mr. Sunday Dare and the Permanent Secretary Alhaji Ismail Abubakar for making the second edition of the course a reality with their support because after eight years, a second edition was long overdue.
A participating member from the World Health Organization(WHO), who is also the Deputy Director of Sports Medicine in Enugu, Mrs. Okoh Chika expressed her joy and relief that the programme has seen the light of day.
She said, “This is perfect and it is an eye opener for many of us. They are giving us what we want and what we’ve not learnt before. This course has opened our eyes, as an example, I now know that Sports Medicine is not only about taking care of the athletes but that there is more to it. So for me, once I get back to my State, I will share my knowledge with both the coaches back home and the Athletes.”
Sports Medicine is a critical aspect of sports development in a nation. The two day course was attended by many renowned Sports Science and Medicine experts. It was declared open by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Alhaji Ismail Abubakar.
