International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy 2021 Annual Report BACK IN PLAY The International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT) is a worldwide Federation which represents national sports physical therapy organizations. The intention of  IFSPT is to be the international resource for sports physical therapists to promote the profession. IFSPT is a recognized subgroup of World Physiotherapy. The IFSPT works with member organizations and their individual members to promote sports physical therapy and safe participation in sport and physical activ- ity, through excellence in education, research, practice, and clinical specialization. The main objectives of the IFSPT are to • Promote sports physical therapy worldwide • Advance the professional interest and stature of sports physical therapy • Improve the quality of sports physical therapy in terms of knowledge, skills and professional responsibility • Facilitate efforts to conduct research in order to promote evidence-based sports physical therapy • Encourage communication and exchange of educational and professional information through vanous media The actions we undertake to achieve these objectives are • Promoting and advancing the post-graduate education for sports physical therapists and the criteria for clinical specialization • Evaluating, developing, and coordinating aspects of sports physical therapy education and practice including, clinical skills, guidelines, protocols, ethics, and behaviors specific to sports physical therapy • Establishing an internationally recognized body of knowledge specific to sports physical therapy • Encouraging worldwide participation in evidence-based practice in sports physical therapy • Encouraging international scientific research in the field of sports physical therapy and promoting its dissemination • Encouraging communication and exchange of educational and professional information between member organizations and their individual members through International Congress, conferences, seminars, website and social media communication channels. • Promoting knowledge exchange • Facilitating the development of international networks of all specialty areas in which sports physical therapists practice including Olympic, professional, elite, disabled, recreational, and other athletic populations • Developing a register of Registered International Sports Physical Therapists (RISPTs) • Promoting communication and co-operation with other healthcare professionals, organizations, agencies and professional associations in areas of  mutual interest. Bakare (Nigeria), Representative at Large; Aleksander Killingmo (Norway), Representative at Large; Luciana de Michelis (Brazil), President; Chris Napier (Canada), Secretary; Suzame Gard (Switzerland), Treasurer; and Carlo Ramponi (Italy), Vice President. Not present: Kenneth Watt (UK), Representative at Large; and Mary Wilkinson, IFSPT Director of Marketing.
The IFSPT is an important resource for sports physical therapy worldwide, due to the effort of all its members as wellas a skilled and experienced leadership. These leadership teams persevered throughout these past difficult years. It feels good to be back to play in 2022! We appreciate the great work delivered by the past EB members:  Kristian Thorborg (DEN), President; Colin Paterson (UK), Vice President; Walter Jenkins (US), Treasurer, and John Fitzgerald (AUS), Representative at Large through the summer of 2021. Much of the work performed in 2021 was done by the 2019-2021 Executive Board. Thank you for guiding the IFSPT with good governance, and preparing the field for the current Executive Board. Thank you for your tireless work and myriad contributions to the IFSPT! Luciana de Michelis Mendonça, now President; Carlo Ramponi, now Vice President; and Ummukulthoum Bakare, Representa- tive at Large, bridged from one board to the next. We acknowledge our newest board members, Suzanne Gard, Treasurer, Chris Napier, Secretary; and Kenneth Watt and Aleksander Killingmo, both Representatives at Large, for their willingness to carry on the amazing work of the 2019-2021 board. The IFSPT Executive Board would also like to thank all of those who have served as committee and board members over the past 21 years, and contributed to what is now a dynamic and growing international organization. Director of Marketing; Ummukulthoum Bakare (NGR), Representative at Large; Kristian Thorborg (DEN), President; Luciana de Michelis Mendomça, Secretary; John Fitzgerald (AUS), Representative at Large; Walt Jenkins (US), Treasurer. The current board would like to thank these individuals for their service to the IFSPT. 3
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President - Luciana De Michelis Mendonça (Brazil) Luciana has been a SONAFE (Brazilian National Society of Sports Physical Therapy) associate since 2007 and has always engaged to help her profession grow. She took part in the Or- ganizing Committees of three SONAFE's Conferences. Moreover, she now has six years of dedi- cation to SONAFE's Executive Board. She is the first female president of SONAFE (2016-2017), in a country with many restrictions to women's participation in sport and politics. Luciana is a teacher in a Federal University in Brazil (Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri - UFVJM) and develops research in the Sports Physical Therapy field. She was the coordi- nator of a Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation and was a visiting professor at UGENT (Ghent, Belgium).
Vice President - Carlo S. Ramponi (Italy)
Carlo Ramponi started to work in sport rehabilitation a few months after completing his Physio- therapy degree, working with professional athletes and or teams. His principal interests are muscle injuries, ACL and shoulder instability rehabilitation. He works as part of the health team in Kinè rehab center, in national teams and in sports clubs. He has also been involved in professional asso- ciation committees for many years. Carlo is a former president of the Group of Italian Sports Physical Therapists (GISPT). The GISPT is a young group which started in 1997. They achieved IFSPT Membership in 2009. Carlo first joined GISPT 10 years ago while he was completing his Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) in SPORT Rehabilitation at the University of Genoa
Treasurer - Suzanne Gard (Switzerland)
Suzanne discovered the IFSPT when she studied in the MSc in sports physiotherapy in Bath. The MSc was tailored to meet the 11 competencies defined by IFSPT. Suzanne has been very active during her career in developing CPD, organizing courses, conferences, and workshops in Switzerland and internationally. For five years she taught at the University for physiotherapists in the bachelor's degree and postgraduate departments. She travels with teams and works pitch side on major tournaments, and major events like the Olympic Games. Her work on the board of societies, like EUSSER, RRMES and Sportfisio Swiss, has inspired change and makes our profession thrive.
Secretary - Chris Napier (Canada)
Chris Napier graduated from Curtin University's Master of Physiotherapy program in 2003. While waiting for his accreditation in Canada, he started his first sport physiotherapy job with Vancou- ver's professional soccer team (the Whitecaps). From there, Chris worked with a variety of sports and abilities including basketball, field hockey, alpine skiing, and athletics. He has been part of  the medical team for the Pan Am, Commonwealth, and Summer and Winter Olympic Games, as well as multiple World Championships in Alpine Skiing and Athletics. Chris began volunteering his time to Sport Physiotherapy Canada shortly after graduating, joining the provincial section execu- tive where he served for 10 years (2005-2015) before joining the national executive (2016-2020). While on the national executive, Chris brought the World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy to Canada where it was successfully staged in conjunction with a revitalized Sport Physiotherapy Canada Congress in 2019. He obtained his Sport Physiotherapy Canada Diploma in 2007, be- came a Registered International Sports Physical Therapist in 2017, and went on to complete his PhD (Running Biomechanics and Injury Prevention) in 2018. He currently serves as Sport Physiotherapy Canada's liaison with the IFSPT and Chairs the Sport Physiotherapy Canada Conference Organizing Committee. 5
Member-at-large -  Kenneth Watt (UK)
Kenneth is an Expenenced Musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapist with a background in private practice, and national/international level sports, who is completing a seven-year term as the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports and Exercise Medicine (ACPSEM) Regional Representative for Scotland. His role encapsulated regular communication (both electronic and in-person) with the membership, focused on education, CPD, and wider organisational updates. Within the region he built an active CPD calendar so developing skills in course organisation and administration including marketing across social media platforms. He has held a number of ACPSEM education committee steenng group roles around the organisation of large national con- ferences aimed at promoting sports physiotherapy. In his role as social media regional manager, Kenneth was responsible for developing the first regonal Twitter account which continues to be active and increase national awareness of the organisation. Kenneth will be working with marketing to bring his energy and skills to support the organisation with its member engagement and growing use of social media as a communication and educational tools. Member at Large - Aleksander Killingmo (Norway) Aleksander has been a board member of the Norwegian Sports Physical Therapist Organization since 2015. His connections with decision makers in Norway has already resulted in new partnerships for IFSPT. Aleksander promotes partnership and collaboration with large international organizations such as FIFA, IOC, IAAF, and FIS. He suggests IFSPT should be a central consultant in arranging sport events, leagues and teams regarding the need for a sports physiotherapist and a guarantor for the quality of sports physiotherapists. Aleksander's goal is to position IFSPT as the "go to" organiza- tion for everyone in need of a Sports Physiotherapist!
Member at Large - Ummukulthoum Bakare (Nigeria)
Ummukulthoum Bakare is a Doctorate Candidate in Physical Therapy at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Her research is focused on women's football and injury prevention. She is a founding member of the Nigenan Sports Physiotherapy Association and is active in disseminating the FIFA11+ injury prevention programme in her native country and across Africa. Her passion has centred around the sports of football, basketball and para-athletes. She received her Bachelor of  Physical Therapy and her Masters of  Physical Therapy from the College of  Medi- cine, University of  Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigena. Ummukulthoum has worked as a physical therapist since 2001 and has won several awards for her service locally, regionally and internationally. She is a member of the Medical and Scientific Commission of the Nigeria Olympic Committee and an Associate Editor for the British Journal of  Sports Medicane.
Staff
Mary Wilkinson - Director of  Marketing
Mary Wilkinson is president of Opus Design Group, a marketing-based creative company in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mary's background spans many consumer and business to business fields; however, she has worked in the healthcare field for 35 years, and with physical therapists for 25. Mary's responsibilities for the IFSPT include marketing strategy and execution, communications with both member organizations and outside organizations, event execution, marketing support for member organizations, and strategic planning consultation for the Board of Directors. She also is responsible for graphic design and website management, as well as coordination of RISPTs. A many-times-over award winner for her creative and marketing campaigns, Mary began work with the IFSPT in 2005, becoming the Marketing Director in 2011. She has served under every president of the IFSPT. She is also Chief Executive Officer of the International Journal of  Sports Physical Therapy. 6
It has been about five months since our last General Meeting and the start of my presidency. I had an amazing experience with Kristian Thorborg and Colin Paterson in the previous board, and we share agreement in creating a culture of  board excellence through good governance. All executive board (EB) members should be participatory, transparent, responsive, effective, equitable and inclusive and follow the rule of law. This new group started to work in the end of August with energy and responsibility! We had EB informal zoom meetings in the beginning to adjust expectations and define roles; formal meetings were held September 8th and 22nd, October 27th and a face-to-face meeting on November 26th during the IOC Conference in Monaco. This last meeting was without cost for IFSPI, since the majority of the EB was already attending the Conference and we were able to guarantee a room in the Grimaldi Forum for our meeting without costs. We kept the IFSPT EB work divided into Research, Education, Membership and Communication committees, in separate working groups and with volunteers adding their expertise. We re-established the finance committee to support the IFSPT Treasurer's work. This allows IFSPT to work more efficiently on tasks previously planned and agreed upon. As mentioned in the last GM, IFSPT needs to increase our income, so the new EB is working hard with marketing to attract and support more sponsors, and to support our current and future members. We renewed our contract with Opus Design Group for more two years, upon unanimous agreement among the board, and specifying Mary's activities more clearly. Therefore, the EB needs to absorb part of the duties that Mary was kindly doing. The IFSPT is lucky to have Mary on our team! Thanks, Mary, for all your precious work and energy! Important decisions were taken related to the IFSPT bank account. The EB agreed to transfer banking out of the United States. Our United States RISPT will keep their titles until the end of  their contract, if  keeping an individual membership. This applies to all RISPTs who may be members of any Member Organization (MO) that drops the IFSPT. The EB also accepted the Norwegan MO proposal to host our congress in 2023, allowing IFSPT to return to offering our main event in odd years, so aligning with our election schedule. We appreciate the partnership with the Norwegian group! Our 2022 and 2023 Congresses will be a huge success! We set an online meeting with Emma Stokes, president of World Physiotherapy, in September to introduce the new EB and also to assure the continuity of a good relationship. We had another meeting on December 1st with Tracy Bury, deputy CEO of World Physiotherapy, to allow the new EB to understand better World Physiotherapy's work and organization. On November 17th 2021, we held our second networking session with the following Member Organisations participating. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria and Switzerland. The EB will continue this action to increase the partnership and exchange with our community! Lastly, I want to thank everyone that I have worked with on the IFSPT board since 2017, first as Membership Committee chair, then as Secretary and chair of the Research Committee, and now as President. I want to see the IFSPT community grow and sports physiotherapy as strong as ever! We must be aware, always, that the mission of IFSPT is to be the main source for sports physical therapy and to bring awareness of sports physical therapy globally. Sincerely, IFSPT President Luciana de Michelis Mendonca 7 The World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy is presented biennially by the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPI) in conjunction with its member organiza- tions. It is designed for sports physical therapists and other disciplines who train and rehabilitate active individuals of all ages, genders, abilities and level of participation. The Congress was developed to provide high quality education using current research, the most expert presenters and the newest methods to restore all active persons to play. At the Third World Congress, the IFSPT was excited to announce that Denmark was chosen to host the Fourth World Congress in August 2021. Sadly, the Congress was delayed by one year due to the continued presence of COVID-19.
UPCOMING CONGRESSES
Registration is now open for the Fourth World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy, 26-27 August, 2022. The International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPI) and the Danish Society of Sports Physiotherapy (DSSF) is pleased to announce the opening of participation in the Congress for all! According to Lars Damsbo, President of  DSSF, "We have chosen the central theme Translating Science Into Action for this historically sold out event. Top researchers and a strong scientific program will ensure the newest in sports science and sports physical therapy is presented, with special atten- tion to the translation from lab to everyday clinical practice. DSSF is honored to host this event, which will be the first time in Scandinavia and the third time in Europe. We will wel- come 600-800 dele- gates worldwide to the coastal city Nyborg and the conference venue Nyborg Strand, literally a stone's throw from the sea." According to Luciana de Michelis Mendonça, IFSPT President, "When we first developed the concept of the World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy, we saw a need to draw together all of  our mem- ber organizations…and beyond!…in a single event. As a rapidly growing or- ganization with members in all five regions of the globe as prescribed by World Physiotherapy, we took a leadership role in planning these biennial events with our member organization hosts. Switzerland in 2015, Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2017, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada all paved the way for success. On behalf of the IFSPT, I am very pleased to invite you to attend The Fourth World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy (WCSPT)!" The World Congress website is your resource for all of the details. https://www.conferencemanager.dk/wcspt2022/main-menu Of most critical importance, submissions for abstracts are now being accepted. Follow this link for information and guidelines. The complete programme to date is also available online, fea- turing our quality speakers. Those interested in exhibiting at the event or sponsoring the Congress should follow this link for more informa- tion and pricing. Exhibit space is limited, so early action is recommended! WCSPT is very much a social and active event where networking takes place in a casual setting with long breaks during the day and a fun gala dinner Friday evening. Nyborg is centrally located in the middle of Denmark with good access routes. The hotel is situated right on the beach with beautiful views of the Great Belt Bridge and a beautiful beech wood as its nearest neighbour. Both the centre of Nyborg and the railway station are within walking distance of the hotel, and the highway is just a few minutes drive. Accommodations are available onsite at The Nyborg Strand Conference Center and Hotel. Attendees are encouraged to reserve their rooms as soon as possible. The IFSPT program begins on August 25, with the morning IFSPT Board and Staff meeting. At 1 PM, a networking ses- sion for Member Organizations will be held until the General Meeting at 3 PM. Details on all official IFSPT functions will be forthcoming as well as location. The official Congress program begins at 8:00 AM on Friday, August 26 with opening ceremonies. On Friday evening, an optional Gala will be held with dinner and dancing. Both con- ference days provide for a long midday break so attendees can enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
SPEAKERS
Professor Mette Aadahl Denmark, Bente Andersen Denmark Ummukulthoum Bakare Nigeria Professor Thomas Bandholm Denmark Dr. Mario Bizzini Switzerland Dr. Shellie Boudreau Canada Dr. Enda King Ireland Professor Michael Kjær Denmark Heidi Klaak Denmark Lisbeth Lund Denmark Karen Kotila Denmark Kasper Krommes Denmark Behnam Liaghat Denmark Dr. Karen Litzy United States Dr. Susan Mayes Australia Lori Michener United States Professor Julie Midtgaard Denmark. Professor Grethe Myklebust Norway Dr. Seth O’Neill United Kingdom Dr. Mark Paterno United States Bente Klarlund Pedersen Denmark. Professor Nicola Philips United Kingdom Dr. Tania Pizzari Australia Dr. Michael Rathleff Denmark Dr. Kathryn Schneiders Canada Dr. Andreas Serner Denmark. Dr. Anthony Shield Australia Dr. Karin Silbernagel Sweden/United States Dr. Benjamin Smith United Kingdom Professor Kristian Thorborg Denmark Dr. Arnlaug Wangensteen Norway 9
It has been an incredible year in 2021 for the International Journal of  Sports Physical Therapy (IJSPT).  The IJSPT begins its seventeenth volume in 2021 and has remained an interna- tional, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing the lat- est research and clinical cases related to clinically relevant evidence, trends, and practices. Its purpose is to advance and improve the rehabilitation and care of athletes and recreationally active individuals throughout the world. IFSPT members will be able to access the Journal prior to open access publication. In order to access IJSPT issues early, IFSPT members must register at this link: https://nasmi.org/ijspt-sign-up-2021-v16-issue/ Member Organizations may also provide the IJSPT with their member rosters for easy upload to the e-mail system to assure their members have access via their mailbox. IJSPT was pleased to present a special issue, The Human Movement System, in January 2022 to kick off Volume Seventeen. This issue, edited by Associate Editor Robert Manske PT, DPT, MEd, SCS, ATC, CSCS, contained ten articles plus an editorial by Editor-in-Chief, Barbara Hoogenboom, PT, EdD, SCS, AT-Ret. This issue is available at https://ww.ijspt.org/v7n1
A SPECIAL ROLE FOR IFSPT
As an official publication of the IFSPT, beginning with the February 2021 issue, a segment entitled "International Perspectives" appeared in the IJSPT, authored by IFSPT members. This special feature has addressed topics of particular interest to the international sports physical therapy community, based in research and evidence-based practice. International Perspectives for Volume Seventeen promises to provide more valuable information for its readers, with experts from around the world slated to contribute. Volume 17, Number 2 will feature an editorial from Luciana de Michelis Mendonça, IFSPT's President, who is an experienced sports physiotherapy provider and educator. The IJSPT is also pleased to announce the addition of an- other International Editor, Chris Napier, who serves as the Secretary for IFSPT. Chris' experience encompasses the full breadth of clinical (from private practice to elite sport), research, and service to the sport physiotherapy community. The IJSPT is proud to welcome him to its board.
EDITORIAL BOARD
(at time of publication; ongoing) Executive Editor in Chief/Publisher Michael L. Voight, PT, DHSc, OCS, SCS, ATC, CSCS Belmont University, NASMI Nashville, Tennessee – USA Editor-in-Chief Barbara Hoogenboom, PT, EdD, SCS, ATC Grand Rapids, Michigan – USA Managing Editor Ashley Campbell, PT, DPT, SCS, CSCS Nashville, Tennessee – USA Chief Executive Officer Mary Wilkinson Indianapolis, Indiana – USA Associate Editors Terry Grindstaff PT, PhD, ATC Robert Manske PT, DPT, MEd, SCS, ATC, CSCS Phil Page PT, PhD, ATC, CSS International Editors Luciana de Michelis Mendonça, PT, PhD Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri - UFVJM, Brazil Colin Paterson, PT, MSc PGCert(Ed), MCSP, RISPT, SFHEA University of Brighton, Brighton, England, UK Chris Napier, PT, PhD Clinical Assistant Professor University of British Coumbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada Kristian Thorborg, PT, PhD Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Hvidovre, Denmark
SPONSORS AND PARTI

AlfaCare AS was founded in Norway in November 2002 and we celebrate our 20-year anniversary this year. We have built stone by stone and today we are the number one supplier of clinical equipment, and products for preventing and relieving muscle and joint pain and sports injunes in Norway. Since 2016 we have also been present in Sweden, and from 2017 in Denmark. We have around 10.000 items in our portfolio and represent several international market leaders. Over the last years we have also started to grow our own AlfaCare branded portfo- lio with products like GaitTec (customized foot orthotics), Ttool (IASTM tool), ROPES (sling training and bungee exercise bands), Bodytech (kinesiology tape), TracCollar (neck collar for traction treatment), fitnessbands and more. We offer education in treatment techniques like Dynamic Taping, occlusion training, dry needling and our own con- cepts for Gait Optimization, sling training, bungee training, IASTM and kinesiology taping We are happy start a new sponsorship with IFSPT and see it as a great opportunity to get to know knowledgeable therapists all around the world. Over the next years our goal is to build an international network of distributors for products under the AlfaCare brand. At the same time, we will build a family of instructors for the techniques we pro- vide education for. If you are curious about our treatment techniques and are interested to be a part of our instructor family, please contact us. If you know distributors in your country that you think can be a good partner for us, we would also like to hear from you. We have since 2015 supported research by hosting the AlfaCare Award for best research presentation at the Norwegian Sport Medicine Congress, and the same in Swe- den at the Swedish Sport Medicine Congress since 2017. The AlfaCare Award will also be a part of  our sponsorship with IFSPT. Our international webpage may be found at www.alfacareinternational.com. Members from Scandinavia can visit our local pages at www.alfacare.no, www.alfacare.se or www.alfacare.dk. You can also reach us by e-mail post@alfacare.no or phone +47 35 02 95 95. For local contact information for Sweden or Denmark, please visit the webpage. In July 2021, IFSPT was pleased to welcome Physio Network as its first sponsor. Physio Network provides clinically relevant physiotherapy continuing education, through research reviews and master classes online. Physio Network supplies the IFSPT with monthly research reviews free of charge to our members, and offers members a discount for additional courses. This allows members all over the world to obtain quality education conveniently and at attractive prices. Physio Network material is available in English, Spanish and French. To take advantage of free reviews, be certain you are opted in to the IFSPT email system to receive them directly to your inbox. These emails also contain links to purchase additional products online at a discount. Our growing selection of  free resources are here for your benefit. They include • Free research reviews • Blogs • Clinical pearls • Infographics • Audio reviews • Exclusive offers and more Subscribe today! https://www.physio-network.com
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
IFSPT is actively looking for sponsors and partners who wish to support our mission. Investment in the IFSPT includes valuable marketing and image benefits for the sponsor. There is limited availability for sponsorships with flexible plans. If your organization has interest in partnering with the IFSPT, please contact Mary Wilkinson, Director of Marketing, at mwilkinson@ifspt.org.
The IFSPT education and registration committee is chaired by Suzanne Gard (Switzerland), and includes members Alek- sander Killingmo (Norway), Chris Napier (Canada), and Colin Paterson (UK). The RISPT subcommittee is comprised of Colin Paterson (UK), Bente Andersen (Denmark), Maria Constantinou (Australia), and Sian Harries (UK). The focus of the IFSPT education component of this group is to promote educational material and share educational resources relevant for sports physical therapists among mem- bers. The registration component of this group works to support Member Organizations in developing their own professional developmental pathways, support countries in gaining RISPT approval for pathways, and promote individuals who become Registered International Sports Physical Therapists (RISPTs). Since the General Meeting in August 2021, with the election of  four new members on the Executive Board, the Education committee has a New Chair: Suzanne Gard. Colin Paterson is still acting as part of this committee, fortunately, and continues his work with RISPT accreditations. He is helped by a RISPT subcommittee that aims to review the applications submitted. The number of  RISPT is growing and the larger is this community, the more interest it raises. We are very happy to help our Member Organisations build a recognised CPD pathway and to assist them in applying for RISPT recogni- tion. Ultimately it helps raising the quality of care for athletes of all ages and abilities across the world. We have now thirteen Countries with approved pathways. Unfortunately, we cannot register new RISPT from the United States, as AASPT left IFSPT in May 2021. RISPT numbers as of December 31, 2021: Australia: 54 Belgium: 3 Canada: 93 Denmark: 9 Ireland: 5 Italy: 9 Netherlands: 0 Norway: 7 New Zealand: 1 Sweden: 11 Switzerland: 2 United Kingdom: 26 United States: 17 Total: 237 We have also welcomed back to the IFSPT our United States individual members who have joined under the new rules after the withdrawal of the AASPT.  All 17 members are RISPTs. Also in 2021, our RISPT were presented with a new graphic identity to use, and have a private Facebook page available to all RISPTs to create an online community, including knowledge sharing and special RISPT-only educational presentations. For the near future we have three aims: RISPT community: Promote links among the RISPT community through a private Facebook group where members can ask clinical questions, share resources, network, and, in the future, IFSPT can conduct RISPT-only promote them. The committee believes this is a win/win situa- tion, as it increases the MO's visibility and helps IFSPT fulfill our aim to promote quality education all around the world. If you have resources in another language, we will be happy to help with subtitles or translation. We are looking for members of  our MOs that would like to work with the Education committee. If you are interested, please write to Suzanne Gard at treasurer@ifspt.org. Following the recent elections in August 2021, the IFSPT Membership Committee is currently comprised of Carlo Ramponi, Italy, Chair; Ummukulthoum Bakare, Nigeria; Aleksander Killingmo, Norway; and Kenneth Watt, United Kingdom. The elections brought about the departure from the committee of  Colin Paterson, United Kingdom, and John Fitzgerald, Australia. We thank them for their work within the committee and within the organisation as a whole. The Membership committee's strategic goals remain focused around: • Increasing the overall number of Member Organisations (MOs) • Increasing resources available to MOs • Increasing membership value and benefits • Increase benefits for Registered International Sports Physical Therapists (RISPTs) • Increasing and facilitating networking opportunities across and within our community The IFSPT community is currently made up of thirty-five MOs: almost 15,000 physios. This number has recently undergone a change due to the withdrawal of the United States group and the addition of new MOs. Our main activities during 2021 have included • Helping plan the inaugural IFSPT online Networking Session, allowing us to update the membership about our activities in June. A second session was held in November. • Managed IFSPT membership applications for, and welcomed, new MOs France and Thailand. • Engaging new Member candidates for the upcoming year through positive contact with national sports physical therapy organizations. • Supporting the IFSPT Secretary to update the membership database and contact details. • Supporting the IFSPT Treasurer to follow up with MOs who have either not replied or failed to pay their yearly fees. • Proposed new criteria and application processes for individual and MO special memberships. • Following up on the 2020 membership survey, a summary response to the highlighted issues has been sent directly to MO's. The agreed response has also been made available on the IFSPT website under archived newsletters. • Supported the Executive Board in planning and running the second Networking Session held in late 2021. We strongly believe that the IFSPT Community is best served when the organization and its members work together to enhance and build our community. Relationships can be developed and grown by providing opportunity for learning and communication. To assist your Membership Committee, we have shared a list of available benefits on the IFSPT website. The Membership Committee looks forward to working with you to help your Member Organization take advantage of all IFSPT's member benefits. The IFSPT research committee includes Research Chair Chris Napier, Canada; Bakare Ummukulthoum, Nigeria; Derya Ozer Kaya, Turkey; Luciana de Michelis Mendonca, Brazil; and Knstian Thorborg, Denmark. The main focus of the IFSPT re- search committee is translation and dissemination of research relevant for the sports physical therapist. The IFSPT research committee has in 2021 worked towards bringing relevant na- tional scientific sports physical therapy research environments and scientific journals to work closer together with national IFSPT member organizations to facilitate more research translation and dissemination.
The main achievements of 2021 were
• Scientific programme planned for World Congress in Sports Physical Therapy in Denmark, 2022. More than thirty speakers have been invited and the distribution of the invited local scientific committee chaired by Kristian Thorborg. Invited speakers are 50/50 with regards to gender representation. Diversity in ethnicity, age and topics have also been considered in relation to speaker invitations. Congress attendants are expected to be between 700-1000 participants. • Consensus statement planned on "The Sports Physical Therapist's Role in Promoting Physical Activity." At this point, invitations have been sent. British Journal of Sports Medicine has agreed to collaborate on form and publication of this work, which will be held the day after the World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy in Denmark, August 28, 2022. It is expected that 20-30 experts will participate. • The establishment of the International Perspective as part of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (IJSPT), with Volume Sixteen, Issue One. These articles may be found on the IJSPT website at ijspt org/archives. Article titles: Worldwide Injury Prevention. Mendonça LD, Schuermans J, Wezenbeek, E, Witvroiav E Screening to Detect Hip and Groin Problems in Elite Adolescent Football (Soccer) Players – Friend or Foe? DeLang MD, Garrison JC, Thorborg K Developing Sports Physiotherapy Expertise – The Value of Informal Learning. Paterson C, Phillips N. The Prevention and Treatment of Running Injuries: A State of the Art. Napier C, Willy RW. Sports Physiotherapy for All. Thorborg K, de Michelis Mendonça L Sports Physiotherapy – Actions to Optimize the Health of Para Athletes. Fagher K, Badenborst M, Van de Vliet P. • Provision of  free and low-cost educational opportunities for MOs. IFSPT's relationship with Physio Network sends free literature reviews directly to IFSPT member inboxes, and allows IFSPT members to receive a discount on all Physio Network educational products.
Communications and Marketing are essential for a global organization such as IFSPT. Mary Wilkinson, president of Opus Design Group, serves as Director of  Marketing and leads the Communications and Marketing Committee. Marketing works closely with the Board of Directors on many projects, and with the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary in evaluating initiatives and helping to maintain administrative systems within the Federation. Following the election in August 2021, Kenneth Watt, Representative at Large, joined the Communications team to assist with social media duties and to spearhead new Facebook Live and RISPT social media projects. Watch for exciting new initiatives via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn throughout 2022!
Activities in 2021 also included
• Consistent newsletters, sent every other month, with new features • Reaching out to member organizations to solicit articles and information for our newsletter and website • Revamp of the website to include translation into five additional languages to English: French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Japanese. This addition to the site will bring greater transparency for many of our MOs who do not have English as a first or second language. • Marketing has served as a strong support for all three past World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy, and it is the same for the Danish Fourth World Congress in 2022. Graphic design, planning, social media implementation, organization, onsite support and sourcing exhibitors are all part of marketing’s activities. • Management of the RISPT process for the Education and Registration Committee, including application processing, reminders for renewal, production and dissemination of certificates and maintenance of the roster. • Support for the Membership Committee in communications with our MOs and facilitating our networking sessions. • Dissemination of relevant research articles and podcasts on social media (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIN and Facebook). Well over 300 social media posts from IFSPT have been made in 2021, and innumerable retweets, reposts, and connections on behalf of our partners, MOs, and related organizations. • Marketing also collaborated with EB members to initiate, finalize and execute sponsorships with Physio Network, and our Platinum Sponsor, Alfa Care. Watch for more information about how you can benefit from these strategic relationships • Expanded social media reach and engagement through a planned communications process and search for resources to benefit IFSPT members. • Executed a 21st anniversary social media campaign to build awareness of IFSPT's longevity, growth and impact tions (MO) so that we may share your activities with your fel- low MOs! Please submit news and articles to Mary Wilkinson at mwilkinson@ifspt.org. In addition, any MO that wishes to have our newsletters sent directly to their members, please feel free to send a simple Excel spreadsheet including first name, last name and email, and we will send the newsletters and our communications to them on your behalf! We will not use these emails for any other purpose. The IFSPT is a sub-group of the World Physiotherapy and 2021 was an excellent year for our relationship. On April 9, 2021, Kristian Thorborg and Luciana De Michelis Mendonça hosted a networking session on Sports Physiotherapy at the virtual World Physiotherapy Congress 2021. We could discuss with the audience from all over the world about criteria for return to play based on the Bern consensus statement and about IFSPT awareness. For the first time, we set an online meeting with Emma Stokes, president of World Physiotherapy, in September to introduce her the new executive board (EB) and also to assure the continuity of  our good relationship. In December, we had a meeting with Tracy Bury, deputy CEO of World Physiotherapy, to allow the new EB to understand better World Physiotherapy's work and organization. IFSPT has renewed its commitment with sharing World Physiotherapy information with its members. Through social media, our website and our newsletters and e-communications, we bring the information you need from our parent organization. Website: https://world.physio
IOC: PARTICIPATION IN SIXTH IOC WORLD
CONFERENCE ON PREVENTION OF INJURY AND
ILLNESS IN SPORT
In November 2021, six of the seven IFSPT EB members participated in the sixth IOC World Conference on Prevention of In- jury and Illness in Sport. The conference, originally scheduled in Monaco in March 2020, was to host the first official face to face meeting of the IFSPT EB elected in 2019. However, the presence of COVID, especially in Europe, caused the postponement of the conference. Many changes had taken place at IFSPT between the scheduling of  the original Conference and the actual event! Four new board members had joined the EB by November 2021, so the first official face to face meeting of the 2021 class of the IFSPT EB was held at the Grimaldi Forum during the IOC conference. In addition, President Luciana de Michelis Mendonca and Representative at Large Ummukulthoum Bakare presented at the Conference. IFSPT looks forward to future collaboration with the IOC!
COVID 19
Our hopes were that by 2021, much of the COVID pandemic would have passed. Unforturnately, COVID has continued to impact operations for all of our member organizations. In 2021, we saw light at the end of the tunnel, as a few conferences, most notably the IOC Injury Prevention Conference in Monaco, were held live with restrictions. Looking forward to later in 2022, some of  the regularly-scheduled conferences, such as our own Fourth World Congress, will be held live. Stay well and protect yourself…see you in August!
UNITED STATES WITHDRAWAL
On May 14, 2021, our largest member organization, and one of the IFSPT's founding members, the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT), chose to leave the IFSPT with no advance notice. To say that the IFSPT was disappointed by this decision is an understatement. IFSPT has long valued the participation of the United States group; in fact, this is the first time in 21 years there has not been a representative from the United States on the IFSPT board. IFSPT is in hopes that the AASPT will reconsider its decision and reapply for membership at a future date.
UNITED STATES RISPTs
The United States also has historically held the largest number of Registered International Sports Physical Therapists since its inception in 2013. Due to the withdrawal of the US group, RISPT status for US members was cancelled on May 14. However, the IFSPT EB chose to extend these memberships through the end of the year while options for continuing to include these RISPTs was discussed. The newly seated board decided on November 22 to offer individual memberships to United States RISPTs for a limited time to allow them to con- tinue to be involved in the IFSPT until their RISPT cycle expires.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS
This reinstatement of IFSPT individual memberships to allow United States RISPTs to continue to participate in IFSPT also has opened some opportunities for members of small countries without an official sports organization, but with ties to World Physiotherapy. We welcome those individuals who qualify for IFSPT membership according to the critena set out on our website. For more information, please see http://ifspt.org/individual-memberships/ or contact Carlo Ramponi, Vice President and Chair of the Membership Commit- tee at vicepresident@ifspt.org.
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20 The International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy www.ifspt.org Twitter: @IntFSPT Facebook: @ifspt LinkedIn: International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy Website: www.ifspt.org © Copyright International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT), 2022