Welcome from the FIVB president
Dear Participants,
Volleyball and Beach Volleyball like other sports offer society a unique opportunity for individual and social development. Volleyball is a challenging game, where players learn a wide variety of skills – physical, mental and social. Volleyball is also an exciting game – for players and spectators alike!
Nevertheless, sports participation also entails a certain risk of injury. Studies from the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games document that the injury risk in Volleyball is much lower than the other Olympic team sports, and even lower than most individual sports. Even so, injuries can affect performance and even long-term health. Therefore, protecting the health of our athletes is the number one priority for the FIVB.
Through its Medical Commission, chaired by professor Roald Bahr, the FIVB has looked at how injuries and illness can be prevented, how the risk of long-term disability can be reduced by proper diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, and how to maintain volleyball as a drug-free sport. The FIVB is a signatory to the World Anti-doping Code, and our anti-doping education and testing program ranks second to none. In keeping with our commitment to protect the health of our players, FIVB has taken the initiative to organize the FIVB World Congress on Volleyball Medicine in Bled, Slovenia in January 2011. This congress will be the perfect platform for physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, biomechanists and other scientists to share their views on volleyball injuries and illnesses. Although it is not the first of its kind, this promises to be a landmark congress, covering the entire field of volleyball medicine with a star line-up of world-renowned experts. The FIVB is pleased to be able to fund this event.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hospitality of our hosts, the Slovenian Volleyball Federation, and all their partners. Not only have they whole-heartedly embraced the idea, but they have worked diligently to create the best possible conditions for the exchange of knowledge and ideas related to the health of our players. The FIVB also thanks the Scientific Committee, chaired by dr. Jonathan Reeser, for creating a superb program. You do not wish to miss this event!
Yours sincerely,
Jizhong Wei
FIVB President
Welcome from the Scientific Committee
On behalf of my colleagues on the Scientific Committee, I cordially invite you to attend the 2011 FIVB World Congress on Volleyball Sport Medicine, to be held in Bled Slovenia from 13.–15. January 2011. The keynote lectures and symposia, outlined in this first announcement, have been selected in order to cover the breadth of sports medicine as it applies to volleyball. The Congress features an outstanding faculty from around the world. In the months ahead, workshops will be added to the schedule. These workshops are intended to be small group, hands-on sessions that complement the main program. In addition, the Congress will provide a forum for presentation of original volleyball-related research. Our goal is to stimulate volleyball-specific investigation and thereby advance the existing “state of the art”. Look for the “call for abstracts” on page 9. Evening social events will punctuate each day. These gatherings will permit discussion and the sharing of ideas, fostering a culture of collaborative inquiry that will help carry the discipline forward.
Please contribute to the future of volleyball sport medicine by joining us for this landmark Congress in 2011. We look forward to welcoming you to Bled!
dr. Jonathan C. Reeser, MD, PhD
Chair, Scientific Committee
