A high-profile delegation from the Dutch Royal Football Association (KNVB) visited the orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital Aspetar recently, as part of the group’s official trip to Qatar.
The delegation was led by KNVB Secretary General Gijs de Jong, accompanied by a number of senior officials. The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Qatar, HE Dr Bahia Tahzib Lie, also came with the group.
Dr Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Acting Chief Executive Officer at Aspetar, welcomed the VIP delegation and briefed them in detail on the services that the hospital provides for athletes. Dr Al Kuwari accompanied the delegation on a comprehensive tour of Aspetar’s world class facilities.
Speaking on his first visit to Aspetar, KNVB Secretary General Gijs de Jong said they were very impressed by the facilities and all the work they’ve seen performed by Aspetar professionals.
We think Aspetar will really improve medicine and football practices around the world and help take sports medicine to the next level.’
HE Dr Bahia Tahzib Lie also reiterated how impressed they were with Aspetar.
We were really impressed at how Aspetar deals with injuries in a very focused manner and in accordance with the latest industry developments. We would like to thank everyone at Aspetar and pledge our support, on behalf of Netherlands, to help this fantastic programme. We are willing to help and work closely with Qatar.’
Qatar Football Association and KNVB recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish closer cooperation, share expertise and resources, and jointly support the development of football in Qatar and in The Netherlands. Aside from Aspetar, the Dutch delegation also visited the state-of-the-art national teams club, due to open soon.
** With additional report from Peninsula Qatar.
