The 10th Annual Scientific Conference of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) took place at RCSI on 20-21 September. A number of international experts spoke at the two-day event, which was opened by Irish athletics legend and former world record holder Senator Eamonn Coghlan.

This year's thematic sessions included ‘Exercise and the extremes of age', which featured internationally renowned speakers Professor Bengt Saltin from the University of Copenhagen, who is widely considered to be the world's foremost sports physiologist, and Dr Nicola Crabtree from Birmingham Children's Hospital. 

Dr David McDonagh, University Hospital Trondheim, Norway, was among the speakers at Saturday's ‘Head and neck' thematic session which explored common problems confronting the sports physician in terms of head and neck injuries in athletes. 

The conference opened with ‘Sports medicine updates' covering the latest development in sports and exercise medicine, diabetes, asthma, and infection. Dr Bill Cuddihy, member of the Irish Sports Council Anti-Doping Committee, finished the session by highlighting recent controversies in anti-doping policies worldwide. 

Later that evening, Honorary Fellowships of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine were awarded to Professor Bengt Saltin, and Dr David McDonagh. 

Dr Nick Mahony, Chairman of the Conference Organising Committee and Board Member of the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine (RCPI & RCSI), said, "The high-calibre international line-up of speakers at the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine Conference appropriately marks the success of the event in this, its tenth anniversary year. This year we will welcome more than 180 delegates for an exciting two-day programme. Saturday afternoon's panel discussion in particular, is not to be missed, with an expert panel of sports nutritionists including Ruth Wood-Martin from the IRFU, Sharon Madigan from the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland and former Olympian Marie Murphy who will discuss supplement use and nutritional practices of athletes."