News
fics chiroprActors provIde criticaL supporT at worlD Urban gaMes
To mark World Spine Day, GAISF is reflecting on the fantastic work of its Associate Member, the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS), who brought its expertise to the Great Market Hall in Budapest, providing free chiropractic services to athletes competing at the World Urban Games last month.
Comprised of 28 member nations, FICS is committed to providing a voluntary service at major international sporting events, so that all athletes can access highly professional chiropractic support. Each team of chiropractors have extensive experience in providing professional care at previous events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Games.
As with all major international sporting events, athlete wellbeing is pivotal to the success and enjoyment of any prestigious event. FICS offers a service that puts all athletes on a level playing field, in terms of equal access to physical support and treatment for aches and strains ahead of, and following competition.
Speaking at the World Urban Games, Lotte Langhoff, a chiropractor from Denmark said:
“It is a free service as obviously a lot of the top athletes in smaller sports do not make money. So it’s good for them that they can actually get free treatment. It’s vital – otherwise we wouldn’t see them compete.
“We have seen more than a third of all the athletes during the World Urban Games, many of them on several occasions. A lot of them came back and told us that they did better than expected or were able to perform at a time when they thought they would have to quit due to injury.
“We’ve had a very good response from the athletes, and that’s part of what makes our job worthwhile; we know that we’ve made a difference.”
Volunteers from FICS were able to enjoy the lively atmosphere of the World Urban Games and Langhoff said that the setting was totally unique to anything they have ever supported before, exceeding traditional sport complex events by hosting a festival with youth-focused activities.
GAISF President, Raffaele Chiulli stated:
“FICS was an invaluable asset to our athletes at the World Urban Games and it was fantastic to be able to provide a mutually beneficial service to our Members and their athletes.
“Utilising the great work of our members in the interest of the athletes competing at our events, is testament to the diverse nature of GAISF.
“As an international body that hosts multiple sporting events all around the world, GAISF are constantly finding new ways to improve the athlete experience on the world stage. Athlete wellbeing is a critical part of the role of every International Federation, and will be the focus of our annual IF Forum later this month.”
Today, over 500 official organisations around the globe have united to support World Spine Day, raising awareness on spinal issues. Research by FICS teams at international sporting events have confirmed that the spine is the most common area that requires treatment, for both athletes and volunteers.
Coordinated by the FISC partner’s, World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC), World Sine Day highlights the importance of spinal health and wellbeing, with this year’s theme promoting people to ‘Get Spine Active’.
To find out more information, visit http://www.worldspineday.org/.