The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has named Yonsei University one of its IOC Research Centers for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health for the years 2015-2018. Yonsei is now one of nine IOC Centers of Excellence from around the world.  The Yonsei IOC Research Center is to be jointly run by the College of Physical Education’s Integrated Physical Science Research Institute and the Wonju College of Medicines’s Sports Medicine Center. For the next four years, the center will be tasked with researching, developing, and implementing effective preventive and treatment methods for sports-related injuries and illnesses. Yonsei will receive financial support from the IOC and join an international network of expert scientists and clinicians in sports injury and disease prevention research.

Since 2009, the IOC, under the leadership of its Medical Commission, has supported and partnered with expert research centers in the field of sports medicine and elite sports from around the world to promote the athletes’ health through the prevention of injury and illness. In a press release, Dr. Ugur Erdener, IOC Medical Commission Chair and Executive Board Member, said: “We are delighted to have appointed nine highly qualified centers from the four corners of the world to assist us with our mission. These centers,” he added, “have all demonstrated that they are at the forefront of research in sports medicine and are committed to our shared goal of using knowledge and resources to ensure the athletes wellbeing so that sportsmen and women can perform at their best level with minimal risks to their health.”

The Yonsei IOC Center will join with the other eight centers in establishing long-term research programs on injury and disease prevention, including studies on epidemiology, risk factors, and mechanisms.  The ultimate goal will be to share their scientific research results with the field and convert these results into concrete actions to protect the health of athletes.