Medical services at the FIFA world cup Qatar 2022.

Objective: The Football World Cup is among the biggest sporting events in the world, but data to inform the requirements of medical care for such tournaments are limited. This study describes the athlete and team medical services at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 .

Methods: Three different medical service entities were identified through a needs analysis based on expert advice, team physician interviews and questionnaires prior to the event: 'Team Services' to provide any workforce or equipment needs of the teams, a 'Polyclinic' to manage any acute medical demands, and a 'recovery centre' to improve game readiness throughout the tournament.

Resuming professional football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: The risk of viral transmission associated with contact sports such as football (soccer) during the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the infective and immune status of professional football players, team staff and league officials over a truncated football season resumed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in a country with high infection rates and to investigate the clinical symptoms related to COVID-19 infection in professional football players.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 1337 football players, staff and officials during a truncated football season (9 weeks) with a tailored infection control programme based on preventive measures and regular SARS-CoV-2 PCR swab testing (every 3-5 days) combined with serology testing for immunity (every 4 weeks).