THE 1st TOKYO INTERNATIONAL
SPORTS MEDICINE INNOVATION FORUM

WELCOME

OPENING MESSAGE

Here, I am announcing that we will host the inaugural Tokyo International Sports Medicine Innovation Forum on Saturday 22nd of September 2018. This is an international forum in which a private sports orthopedic clinic takes the initiative and the responsibility as the host - the very first case of its kind ever to be hold in the history of sports medicine in Japan.

International forums in general have been something that the conventional societies take the initiative and were managed in a conservative form. In many cases themes were categorized by sites of injury, types of disease or others, all done from the point of view of doctors and surgeons who execute the treatment for the patients. Different groups take the turn to host each time and that has caused another problem of missing the bigger picture which we should push ourselves to and achieve.

In the autumn of 2017, we had an opportunity to visit Fortius Clinic in London, UK, which hosts international forums every two years. It was then that I realized that the same kind of innovative action under a clear and bright future vision needs to be worked out in our own country.

Breaking through old-school ties and political ties, specialists and professionals meet together with same three themes in their respective mind - standing on the side of athletes, having the long-term vision and providing ourselves with innovative contents that lead to the future development. Looking ahead to 2020 and beyond, I am firmly determined to make this forum an unprecedented and revolutionary opportunity for everyone participating in it.

As you all know, the treatment for top athletes always takes the latest knowledge and the very best execution. We must be engaged more with the future of the athletes and make the best choices for them under the long-term vision. In doing so, we also need to hear and share the true feeling of the athletes with honest and open-minded attitude. Unilateral presentation alone never achieves this goal. So in our forum, we will try to provide as many opportunities as possible of bilateral conversation involving both medical professionals and athletes from which we may find clues and for stepping up to the higher ground.

With the preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics/Paralympics and 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan taking steps forward each day and generating a powerful momentum around sports in Japan, we just find ourselves standing right in the center of the attention from not only athletes but the entire sports world.

Before taking on these national events, I feel it is important for the elite professionals working in the sports medical field in Japan to make statements to the world. This forum provides these professionals the foothold for doing it. And I hope and believe that one day this forum will serve as an opportunity for professionals from all over the world to meet together and exchange information and knowledge.

To close my message, I am humbly asking for your understanding and support for the significance of this forum, and also your enthusiastic participation in it.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,

Yasuyoshi Mase

Yasuyoshi Mase
Sports Medical Associates CEO

Masataka Sakane

Masataka Sakane
Ishin-Denshin CEO