JEDDAH, 16 February 2007 — Sports medicine is becoming more popular these days among young Saudi men and women. There are many athletes, like Saudi gymnast Maki Al-Mubiareek and hurdler Hadi Souan, who specialize in physical education (PE) and sports medicine.
Souan, 30, has been teaching PE in Jeddah for the Education Ministry for up to 14 years now. Al-Mubiareek, 25, is an elementary level PE teacher in Hafr Al-Batin and is now working on getting his masters in physiotherapy.
Saudis that wish to study sports medicine need to do so abroad as the subject is not taught at Saudi universities. In order to take up studies outside the Kingdom, interested students enroll into the Youth Welfare Prince Faisal Post Graduate Program in Sports Medicine. The course is extremely popular and many Saudis, especially females, apply. Women say it is an essential topic to learn not only for athletes but also for people who want to maintain healthy lives.
“It’s a really interesting subject. Although I have to say people and especially athletes are still not taking it seriously,” said Amal Kinanah, a Saudi woman who recently graduated from the program.
Kinanah specialized in nutrition and now works as a nutrition specialist at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital. She also has her own clinic at Dr. Suleiman Habib Medical Center in Riyadh.
“It’s a new field and it’s very useful for those who want to open a clinic and help people — regardless of whether they are athletes or just women who wish to remain fit,” she said.
Kinanah believes that many people do not combine between the two concepts of playing sports and keeping fit. Kinanah stressed that Saudi athletes are unable to balance between wanting to get the physical figure they want and their health.
Ahmad Auda, a physiotherapist and coordinator at Prince Faisal Post Graduate Program in Sports Medicine, said there has been an increase in the numbers of people applying for the program.
Auda added, “Although the program was inaugurated seven years ago, not only are men applying, there are also women and they are both excelling in the subject.”
According to him, four women have entered the sports medicine field. He added, “40 percent of people in physiotherapy are women and in nutrition 80 percent of students are women.”
The program is divided into three parts; sports medicine in coordination with the University of Bath, nutrition in coordination with Loughborough University and physiotherapy in coordination with the Manchester Metropolitan University. All the three universities are UK-based.
“The Youth Welfare covers all expenses in brining doctors and professors from UK universities to deliver lectures in Saudi Arabia three to four times a year. The students only pay their tuition fees to the university, which is approximately £2,000 (SR15,000 approx) each year,” he said.
He added, “During the first year, students basically gain background knowledge about the subjects. In the second year they get their diploma and then get their masters degree after completing the third year.”
Auda continued that the Youth Welfare offers students the possibility of treating athletes at Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Hospital for Sports Medicine in Riyadh as part of the practical aspect of the course. Students are encouraged to log what they do and then present their research to their course tutors.
“Students can have their own clinic for free so they can examine the maximum numbers of patients during their masters,” he said.
Students, said Auda, have excelled well and many of them have had papers published in British magazines and newspapers. Among them was a study conducted by Amin Al-Gafly, the 39-year-old head of the Physiotherapy Department at Qatif Central Hospital. His study on the effects of cryotherapy on nerve conduction velocity, pain threshold and pain tolerance was published on Jan. 15 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
“I am an old time footballer; that is why I found myself interested in learning. Through this program I managed to refresh my memory and gain lots of knowledge,” said Al-Gafly.
Al-Mubiareek added that there is another course offered for free by President of the Saudi Youth Welfare Prince Sultan ibn Fahd to around 25 athletes who are members of the Saudi national teams. The athletes are being given scholarships as a reward for their excellent sportsmanship and will now be able to study abroad and take training at the same time. The athletes have submitted their applications and are now awaiting confirmation to undertake the courses they applied for.
