Historic medical forum to hold during World Air Games in December

While the Emirates Aerosports Federation (EAF) is busy with last-minute touches to the first-ever FAI World Air Games next month, it is equally excited about organising an international medical symposium during the course of the event.

To be held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the fourth edition of the World Air Games will be held at various locations in Dubai from December 1-12.

More than 1,200 participants have already confirmed their participation for the World Air Games, making it the best-ever in the history of the competition.

One of the firsts to be held during the competition will be the medical symposium that will bring together all the minds involved in air sports. Held as part of the World Air Games, the medical symposium will be conducted at the Meydan Hotel from December 3-5. Doctors, aero-medical experts and renowned speakers in the field will discuss and debate issues related to medical challenges in extreme air sports and in aviation, in general during the course of three days. Organised by the FAI Medico-Physiological Commission and medical authorities from Dubai, the event is meant to provide a platform for the communication and dissemination of experience and research being done in the field of aviation sports, with a special emphasis on safety.

“It is important for us to have the best of everything at these Games,” Nasser Al Neyadi, president of the EAF, told Gulf News.

“The medical symposium will bring in a new dimension to the Games and to Dubai. We are always probing ways and means to innovate and invent and the medical symposium will bring in this new breath into WAG. We are merely raising the bar and the FAI has been very supportive of all the work we have been doing to have this edition as the best-ever,” Al Hammadi said.

Being an official part of the FAI World Air Games programme, the specialised event will also provide an exceptional opportunity for participants to interact with the world’s leading aerial athletes and witness sports at their best.

A distinguished panel of speakers have confirmed so far, including Dr Nabila Al Awadhi, head of the Aeromodical Section at the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), UAE; Dr Melchor Antunano, director of the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in the United States; Dr Thomas Drekonja, flight surgeon for the Red Bull Air Race, Austria; and Dr Antony Evans, chief medical officer for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Canada.

“This is the first time ever that we have ventured to have a medical seminar to debate issues that are close to our sport,” FAI president Dr John Grubbstrom noted.

“It has been a heartening experience to have so many specialists volunteer their time and energy and make the trip to Dubai for this event. I am confident that over the three days we will have a very fruitful discussion and debate.”

All details of the symposium may be obtained at the official website www.wagdubai.ae/aeromedical.php.