(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Muscat-based sports medicine expert Dr E B S Ramanathan (Ram Sethu) has been unanimously elected as the secretary-general of the Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM) at its congress held in Beijing China recently.

Ramanathan who works as a senior consultant at Muscat Private Hospital has been based in the sultanate for the past 27 years.

Also elected to the nine-member executive committee of the continental sports medicine body is Dr Masoud al Riyami a senior orthopaedic consultant at Khoula Hospital and a member of the Oman Sports Medicine Committee.

China's Guo Ping Li was elected as the president while Hong Kong's Dr Patrick Young has become the treasurer.

Ramanathan the former president of the Indian Association of Sports Medicine said 'The post brings in a lot of responsibilities and I hope to fulfill them and make the AFSM a stronger body.'

Formed in 1990 the AFSM is a continental federation under the International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS).

Ramanathan added 'The main objective of the AFSM is to foster the promotion of sports medicine in Asia. Right now the AFSM has a membership of 30 national associations. We would like to expand it.'

At the executive committee meeting after the congress and the election of the office-bearers it was also decided to set up a permanent office of the AFSM at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Ramanathan said that the key goals of the AFSM are to 'establish strengthen and practise medical code in sports and to establish medical ethics in sports medicine'.

He said the AFSM also aims to campaign against doping and implement the anti-doping charter of the IOC and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). 'We conduct courses and workshops that help us share the knowledge and techniques in sports medicine' Ramanathan said.

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Sports medicine expert elected to Asian body