Physiotherapists from all regions of Oceania will descend upon Brisbane this weekend to participate in an Advanced Team Physiotherapist’s Course conducted by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) in conjunction with Sports Medicine Australia (SMA), and funded by Olympic Solidarity, an arm of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Presented for the first time in the Pacific region, this course has been developed with the support and expertise of Australian sports medicine professionals, and has been tailored to support Olympic team physiotherapists from the Oceania region.

Having been nominated by their National Olympic Committees, participants from throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Nauru will have the opportunity to gain high level training in more advanced skills to improve their ability to prevent and manage injuries and medical conditions.

The majority of course presenters are Queensland-based health professionals from several disciplines, all of whom have extensive experience working with Olympic and other international athletes over many years. The Course Coordinator and SMA QLD Executive Officer, Mark Brown, who is also a Sports Physiotherapist and has himself worked at several Olympic Games said:

“At the end of the day it’s all about improving the health and well-being of the athletes, to both keep them safe and improve their performance. The role of the physiotherapist in travelling with teams and supporting athletes in an environment like the Olympics is crucial,” said Mr Brown.

“Participants in this course will be provided with advanced training based on the latest scientific research on the best practice approach to sports injury prevention, nutrition, assessment and management of a range of sports injuries and conditions and a number of other clinically related topics of relevance for physiotherapists working with athletes. The course also features extensive discussion of other medically related issues from the Olympic Movement Medical Code including drugs in sport and IOC Medical Code of Ethics.

“Sports Medicine Australia is thankful for this opportunity to teach physiotherapists not only from Australia but from the Oceania region with the support of the International and Australian Olympic Committees and we look forward to our ongoing relationship,” said Mark Brown.

Chair of the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) Medical Commission, Dr Chris Milne said the course was very timely in the lead up to the London Olympics.

“All practitioners need to be across the latest techniques and management processes to ensure athletes receive the best immediate and ongoing care. Many of the physiotherapists in our region have limited opportunities to participate in this sort of training,” said Dr Milne.

“The training provided may expose participants to information that helps them to improve the level of care and the performance of an athlete. These are very important outcomes for many of our Oceania nations,” said Dr Milne.

The Advanced Team Physiotherapists course will be held at St Leo’s College, University of Queensland from November 25 -27, 2011 and is funded through IOC Olympic Solidarity with the support of the AOC and ONOC.

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Media enquiries: Mark Brown, Sports Medicine Australia (QLD Branch) Executive Officer, phone 07 3367 2700, mobile 0433 237 124.