Morning – Aspetar, the ultimate sports medicine in the heart of Doha

Created in 2007 and located in the heart of the Aspire Academy area, Aspetar, accredited in 2008 by FIFA as a "Medal Center of Excellence", is a marvel of sports medicine. Its mission is to help high level athletes to find 100% of their potential, but also to set up a sport medicine policy for Qatar. And this explains the fact that all Qatari sportsmen, whatever their disciplines, come to make medical visits at the beginning of each sporting season.

We would not be exaggerating at all if we called Aspetar the largest sports clinic in the world. The size here does not indicate the area, but the diversity of trades and the quality of care provided. In fact, there are all specialties from orthopedics to cardiology, through microbiology, dentistry, physiotherapy, dietetics … And it is no coincidence that the best athletes in the world are coming seek treatment in this hospital where the best specialists in the world are working. The most striking thing, by the way, is the diversity of the staff who work there. Lyes Fodil, in charge of media relations, talks about a multitude of nationalities, more than thirty, from all over the world. A diversity, he says, that creates wealth because each of them comes with the experience of his country in the field of sports medicine. Nine Moroccan doctors and ten physiotherapists are part of the staff of Aspetar that employs 800 employees.

Preferred destination for international athletes

This ultra-sophisticated clinic has become the preferred destination for world athletes who suffer from physical glitches. It is common to meet big stars in the corridors of Aspetar. Our visit to the hospital coincided with the presence of Raja player Abdelilah Hafidi, who is still in the physical preparation phase. On the walls of the hospital, scrolls the list of athletes who have been treated in this clinic. The portraits of Neymar Jr, the PSG star, Mehdi Benatia, Paul Pogba, Muataz Barsham, Marco Verrati, Samuel Umtiti and many others are hanging on the walls. All these stars came to seek the quality of the care lavished by the best specialists of the world.

The athlete is pampered

Lys Fodil proudly explains that the athlete is pampered, from first exams to rehabilitation. And to continue that the sportsman can see several specialists in a day. This is not the case elsewhere where he must make appointments sometimes widely spaced. And to continue: "We have everything here, operating rooms, imaging (radios, MRI …), a rehabilitation area and all possible practitioners, from the surgeon to the physiotherapist. No need to change places to receive care.

Hypoxic rooms

Athletes can also test their altitude adaptation. Indeed, Aspetar has hypoxic rooms to simulate an altitude of up to 5,500 meters. According to Lys Fodil, these parts are equipped with a compressor that regulates the entry and the exit of air so as to force the organism to react and to launch higher hormonal productions, with in particular the increase of the number of globules red. And continue: "The training in hypoxia or altitude, it's the same". According to Fodil, several teams came to use these rooms, including the Wales rugby team or Australia's swimming team.

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Aspetar, Qatar's leading provider of sports doctors

Contrary to what some may believe, Aspetar is not just a posh hospital for sportsmen, far from it. He is also in charge of all sports medicine in Qatar. The National Sport Medicine Program (MNSP), headed by Morocco's Khalid Hassoun, is in charge of sports medicine in Qatar.

This department employs, stand, 325 people, including 41 doctors, 164 physiotherapists, 70 masseurs and 13 nurses. The rest of the workforce is composed of administrative staff. All this beautiful world deals with the health of sportsmen Qatari all disciplines. "All Qatari sportsmen pass at the beginning of each sports season extensive medical tests in Aspetar to check that nothing is disturbing their physical integrity. What constitutes an important database, "says Dr. Hassoun. For the youngest, Dr. Hassoun was the national team doctor for 12 years (1982-1994). Better still, Hassoun says Aspetar provides medical organization to all clubs in the country. According to Hassoun, the distribution of doctors is based on the number of licensees in each club. This is a real sport medicine policy. The bursting of tall jumping star Muataz Barsham, winner of the gold medal at the 2019 Doha Worlds, is anything but a coincidence. Barsham and many other rising Qatari sportsmen are the result of a well thought-out sports policy. Admittedly, these installations are made with billions, but they are investments of great utility for the population of the country, but also for its international influence. not