Ministry of Health
National Medicine Association
National Sports Medicine Association
27.01.2025.
In 2024, the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations (EFSMA) announced that Sports Medicine has been recognised as a new category of specialist medical training in the European Union (EU). With a Delegated Decision 2024/1395 of the European Commission (EC) amending the Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards evidence of formal qualifications and titles of training courses (notified under document C (2024) 1357) and published on 31.05.2024, sports medicine is introduced as a new category in the Europe Union under point 5.1.3 of Annex V to that Directive. Titles in sports medicine for 11 Member States are included in that new category: Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal and Romania. The Sports medicine qualification meets the standardized requirements for medical training of medical specialist set out in Article 25 and share the minimum duration of medical training is 4 years and less period (1 – 3 years) in not acceptable.
The Directive 2005/36 establishes rules according to which a Member State shall recognise professional qualifications obtained in another Member State. The Member States shall ensure that the minimum duration of specialist medical training courses referred to in Annex V, point 5.1.3 is not less than the duration provided for in that point and training shall be given on a full-time basis at specific establishments which are recognised by the competent authorities. Since entry into force of the amendments 2024/1395 the training program in sports medicine should be minimum 4 years. It provides also for the free movement of sports medicine physicians in the EU.
Those Member States that have not yet introduced specialist medical training in sports medicine should consider implementing “Training Requirements for the Specialty of Sports Medicine, European Standards of Postgraduate Medical Specialist Training” accepted the European Union of Medical Specialists – UEMS and EFMSA, as well as establishing certification process in sports medicine physician specialty. It is important for the diversity of the sports medicine specialty, access to sports medicine physician resources and knowledge in the European Union and also for protection of each country’s specialists involved in sports medicine, and providing equal circumstances across the EU, including your country.
As a next step after the implementation of the four years sports medicine training program in the country the national coordinator who is responsible about the Internal Market Information System of European Commission (IMI - IT application that connects national, regional and local authorities across the EU) must confirm in the IMI that the duration of the national sports medicine training programme is four years and that it complies with the requirements of the Directive 2013/55/EU). The Education and Scientific Commission of the European Federation of Sports Medicine Associations understands different situations and circumstances in each country and foresees possible problems, therefore offers cooperation and help in creating and implementation the sports medicine training program in your country. Please do not hesitate to contact the Education and Scientific Commission of EFSMA:
[email protected]; +37126557425.
In the near future, we should all together assess the potential changes with the aim to standardize, include new rules and enhance the quality of sports medicine physician practice across EU member countries, for example: Certification requirements, Continuing education, Practice standards with included guidelines, Ethical practices, Use of technology, Cross-border practice, Research and Development in EU and other.
Please let me invite two delegates of each Europe Union to the first meeting of the UEMS Sports Medicine Section will be held in Riga on 16-17 May, 2025. The National Medicine Association of each EU country in cooperation with the National Sports Medicine Association should delegate 2 National delegates for the work in this section, and send this information to the UEMS Central Office in order to ensure the right to vote at the first meeting of the UEMS Sports Medicine Section in Riga in 2025. The UEMS Central Office contact details: External affairs Bertrand Daval, CEO
[email protected] and Isabelle Dumaine, EU Policy & PR Officer
[email protected].
The President of the UEMS Multidisciplinary Joint Committee on Sports medicine Prof. Nicolas Christodoulou will also attend the meeting and hand over all official papers to the new Sports medicine section. At this first meeting the elections of the President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer, Chairpersons for the Board (educational affairs), Professional practice committee members and Clinical affairs committee members will take place.
For this meeting Latvian Sports medicine association will provide meeting place for 2 days, lunch for these 2 days and the first evening dinner. Please send National delegates names and contact information who will participate in this meeting. More details, including registration and participation conditions in the UEMS Sports Medicine Section meeting will be available in due course.
Looking forward to a fruitful collaboration,
MD Sandra Rozenstoka
Organizer of the first meeting of the UEMS Sports Medicine Section
President of the Latvian Sports medicine association
[email protected]
phone: +37126557425