International Olympic Committee recognises Australian researchers for critical work on sports injuries

Australian researchers have received International Olympic Committee (IOC) funding to continue valuable research into preventing and treating sports injuries.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has congratulated researchers from the Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP), the La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre (LASEM) and the Australian Institute of Sport after they were recognised by the IOC as a research centre for the prevention of injury and the protection of athlete health.

The teams will receive funding from the IOC for the next four years to research, develop and implement effective preventative and treatment methods for sports-related injuries and illnesses.

ACRISP and LASEM join 10 other institutions from around the world that have been named as IOC Research Centres.

ACRISP is based at Edith Cowan University’s Joondalup campus while LASEM is based at the Bundoora campus of La Trobe University

AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll says that the Australian teams have established a global reputation for the quality of its research into sports medicine, commenting "the AOC was delighted to support the ongoing work done by ACRISP and LASEM as part of the IOC network of international experts seeking to prevent and treat injuries in sport.

“The health and wellbeing of our athletes is paramount to the AOC.

“The IOC has recognised the valuable work done by ACRISP and LASEM for close to a decade. It is one of only four international centres recognised since the start of the IOC program in 2009.“

ACRISP Research Manager Dr Lauren Fortington credits the success of the teams’ work to the different areas of expertise provided by specialists from Edith Cowan, La Trobe University and the Australian Institute of Sport.

Dr Fortington advised "our collaborative approach, nationally and internationally, means we can capitalise on the different strengths of our team to ensure research excellence – from epidemiology and statistics, sports science, strength and conditioning, coaching, marketing, management, clinical care and more.

"Our focus will be on understanding who gets injured and why, and implementing actions that improve safety and keep people active in their sport."

While the Edith Cowan University team provides expertise from a public health perspective, the La Trobe team focuses on clinical treatment.

La Trobe University’s Professor Jill Cook says consultation with multiple sports allows her team to focus on the diagnosis and treatment of complex issues with tendons, muscle injuries and hips and knees.

Professor Cook added “IOC recognition highlights that LASEM research impacts directly on athletes’ health and contributes to sports injury prevention.

“Ultimately the aim is to reduce the risk of injury and where it does occur, reduce the burden on the athlete to get them back into their sport and the enjoyment that flows from that."