Welcome by
Thomas Bach, IOC President

Every athlete knows that injury and illness are an inherent risk to any sporting career. Athletes are at the heart of the Olympic Movement, and so it is only natural that the athletes’ health is a top priority for the International Olympic Committee. The IOC World Conference on the Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport is one expression of how the IOC always puts the health of athletes first.

Bringing together leading experts and practitioners in sports medicine from around the world, this conference is an ideal platform for sharing and disseminating the latest research and best practices in the field of injury and illness prevention in sport.

This IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury and Illness in Sport is taking place at a very timely moment just ahead of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

In this way, this Conference is also timely reminder that we need this strong cooperation and joint effort to ensure that all the athletes have every chance of performing at their very best.

My thanks go to the members of the IOC Medical and Scientific Commission, chaired by IOC Member Professor Uğur Erdener, who have been leading the efforts on injury and illness prevention and for bringing together this impressive community of experts and practitioners.       

As the Conference is hosted once again in the Principality of Monaco, I would also like to extend my thanks and appreciation to HSH Prince Albert II, IOC Member, for his remarkable support to make this event possible.

Thomas Bach
IOC President