Providing medical care at a World Cup means supporting players, spectators and staff while maintaining everyday healthcare for the host population. It also means preparing for emergencies under the scrutiny of a global audience.
In this session recorded at WEM24, sisters Celeste and Liesel Geertsema join Peter Dzendrowsky to share their experience of planning and delivering medical services for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
They explore how centralised services, standardised clinics and flexible staffing helped meet the demands of a condensed tournament. The session takes you behind the scenes of workforce training, pitch-side emergency rehearsals and specialist athlete care, including the practical challenges of security, referral pathways and confidentiality.
Through examples of unexpected requests, late changes and media misinformation, the speakers share lessons relevant to anyone planning medical support for a major event.