New cooperation between LaLiga and Aspire Zone

Aspetar, the world's leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital housed in the Aspire Zone, has announced a new partnership with Spain's LaLiga to put in place measures to safely restart sporting activity amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the suspension of all sporting events including football.

The joint initiative is within the framework of the strategic partnership signed by Aspetar and LaLiga in 2019 and is designed to benefit from Aspetar’s exceptional experience in the fields of medicine and sports sciences. The cooperation will aim to share the knowledge and experience of Aspetar and LaLiga focusing on the protocols laid out by Aspetar for the resumption of football competitions in Qatar that are being carried out in the new circumstances of the Covid-19 crisis.

A virtual meeting was held between LaLiga and Aspetar during which experts in various fields from the hospital and Liga executives to discuss the medical advances made to ensure the safe return of footballers during the global pandemic.

Among the issues discussed during the meeting were the early detection of active coronavirus cases and the measures to take into account during quarantine as well as the guidelines to follow, tests to be carried out and the correct way to use face masks. Also covered were the challenges LaLiga faced and the experiences encountered when restarting football activity.

Dr Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Chief Executive Officer of Aspetar, said of the partnership: “It is an honour for us to announce a new association with a prestigious corporation like LaLiga, one of the most famous leagues in the world. We believe that this cooperation will provide considerable constructive results as well as aiding us to promote more efforts in the fields of medicine and sports sciences, which will benefit athletes and the sporting community on a global level.

“This partnership bolsters Aspetar’s position as a pioneering, world class sports medicine hospital and confirms our commitment to the vision of Aspetar to help athletes to reach their highest levels of ability and achieve maximum performance levels. We feel that we are currently playing a more important role than we have ever done, above all given the circumstances imposed by Covid-19 and its unprecedented impact on sport across the world.”

Guillermo Heredia, LaLiga Director of International Development for the Middle East, North Africa, Russia and India, said: “It is a pleasure for us to share the new health protocols associated with restarting competitions in coordination with other European league and organisations, as well as the heath authorities and the clubs. In conjunction with the National Sports Council and the health authorities, we have assigned two ambitious protocols, one for the return to training and another for the return of competitions. Due to these projects and the need for drastic recommendations, it was possible for training to resume within the framework of the preventive measures.”

LaLiga and Aseptar’s collaboration was embodied with the signing of a memorandum of understanding last October between the Spanish league and the Aspire Zone, which laid out the foundations for a strategic partnership in various areas, the most notable of which was a commitment to developing young talent and fostering team work while sharing knowledge and experience across various fields of sport.