QU college holds closing ceremony of ISAFA

The Sport Science Programme at Qatar University College of Arts and Sciences (QU-CAS) held the closing ceremony of the 2016 edition of the International Science And Football Association (ISAFA) workshops and conference.The event included workshops, theoretical lectures, applied seminars, clinics, and two full days of research outputs. The aim of the event was to back up football practices by cutting-edge applied sciences. Field experts representing several schools from Qatar, Brazil, France, Poland, Portugal, Tunisia and Uruguay shared their knowledge with scientists from Qatar, Brazil, France, Greece, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, UK, and USA, among others.From the football stadium to the research complex lecture theatre passing by the virtual reality lab in QU up to Aspire Academy, the 2,014 delegates and attendees have learned something new by discovering the venues and networking. The 2016 edition of the ISAFA has indeed for the first time ever gathered all the major sport and science institutions in Qatar as one family to delivering its content - QU, Aspire Academy, Aspetar, Anti-Doping Lab Qatar, and Qatar Olympic Academy. It was the first time that the ISAFA was organised in an Arabic country. Dr Monèm Jemni, ISAFA chair and Qatar Olympic Committee professorial chair in Sport Science Programme, said: “The event brought together experts, practitioners, scientists, managers, stake-holders, representatives and students to inspire them being the next generation of coaches and/or experts. There is no progress without science; football is only one of these sports where scientists’ input has been lacking for many years.”