DECEMBER 15, 2006

How to learn how to manage risks

The inaugural Centre of Excellence Summit hosted by the FIA, the FIA Institute and the French Ministry of Sport will be held at the Paul Ricard circuit in mid-January with Management of Risk in Sport being the theme. The two-day event will feature presentations by French Minister of Sport Jean-Francois Lamour, FIA President Max Mosley and officials from the International Olympic Committee, American Football's NFL, and the worlds of soccer, rugby football, cycle racing and boxing.

The conference will be chaired by Professor Gerard Saillant, the Deputy President of the FIA Institute and an orthopaedic surgeon who has operated on some of the world's top sporting stars.

"Sport, if it is poorly understood or practised incorrectly, or even excessively, can entail risks that can pose a threat to the health of the athlete concerned," says Saillant. "Furthermore, in modern sport there are new risks, which also affect the national institutions, organisers, and even spectators. These include legal and financial risks as well as risks to public safety. The aim of this summit, which will have the advantage of bringing together a panel of international speakers from various sports, is to define these risks and propose solutions to prevent them."