The Crown Prince Foundation (CPF) announced Wednesday the launch of the Jordan Athletic Therapy Association (JATA), a joint effort between the CPF's "Qusai" initiative and the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC).
The announcement was made during a press conference held on the seventh anniversary of the Qusai initiative, which was launched in 2014 by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein Bin Abdullah.
JATA, along with the Jordan Sport Medicine Federation, are the JOC's health arm. The association is concerned with boosting athletic therapists' abilities and skills to deal with sport field emergencies, in addition to forming a legislative environment that protects the rights of athletes and practitioners.
Voicing her pride in the association, which was the fruit of 7 years of labor, Tamam Mango, the Chief Executive Officer of the CPF, said that: "After years of labor, we proudly announce that the Qusai initiative, which was launched following the tragic passing of Qusai Khawaldeh, created the first specialized association in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to accomplish its goals, alongside a Master’s program for Athletic therapy to provide the sports sector with highly qualified people."
Mango explained that the Qusai initiative's on-field athletic therapists have saved the lives of 14 athletes in the past few years, highlighting the CPF's plan to maintain the work flow over the next two years in partnership with the JOC.
Secretary General of the JOC, Nasser Majali, said that Jordanian sports have witnessed a noticeable improvement in the medical field as a result of the partnership between the committee and the foundation. The collaboration, he noted, came under a joint strategy to protect athletes and provide a safe environment while playing sports by offering full medical care during their participation in national and international tournaments.
Majali commended the major role of the Qusai initiative to produce ad train on-field athletic therapists in accordance with international foundations in cooperation with the World Federation of Athletic Training & Therapy (WFATT)
The President of the JATA, Zaid Habashneh, said that the association's vision is to have athletic therapy recognized as a healthcare provider by 2025, and its mission is to make Jordan a pioneer in the field of athletic therapy in theory and in practice, as well as legislation wise, in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The Qusai initiative put forth a strategy to improve practices in athletic therapy. It was launched following the passing of footballer Qusai Khawaldeh, who lost his life due to an unfortunate medical incident while on the playing field.
The program aims to enhance methods and expand resources for training athletic therapists on and off the field. Following intensive training, their skills in providing the most advanced medical treatment and therapy to Jordan’s athletes will make them invaluable assets to sports teams' regional and global success.
