1999 BASM annual congress

The BASM annual congress took place from 21–24 October in Newcastle. It was a memorable congress and arguably one of the most successful meetings of the association. Per Renstrom (Sweden) and Peter Fricker (Australia) were the keynote speakers and contributed to many lectures, workshops, and discussions throughout the weekend. Participants at the meeting were delighted to hear Roger Moreland describe the future of the United Kingdom Sports Institute and how it will be the driving force in British sport for the next generation. This speech met with strong support from the sports medicine community.

In response to the need for higher education by those at post Diploma or Masters level, Rod Jaques chaired an afternoon session on advanced sports medicine. This problem based session used case studies which were presented by four brave volunteers and were discussed with the audience. This was a very positive initiative which was warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic audience who were keen to participate. The British Olympic Association and, in particular, its chief medical officer also had a large input into the organisation of a parallel programme, which discussed the role of the BOA medical team in the period leading up to the Olympics in Sydney.

The UK Forum, an umbrella body for the academic institutions, has a great influence on academic developments and seeks to build on the academic achievements of BASM so far; it was chaired by Paul McIntyre. The short papers session illustrated the improving standard of sport and exercise medicine research …