Spa Project

The International Federation of Sports Physiotherapy (IFSP) is based at Spaarndam in the Netherlands, and this is our website.

IFSP is a worldwide Federation which represents national Sports Physiotherapy organisations. It is a recognised subgroup of the World Confederation of Physiotherapy.

The efforts of IFSP are directed towards member organisations and their individual members in serving athletes of all ages and abilities through excellence in education, research, practice, and clinical specialization. The intention of IFSP is to be the international resource for Sports Physiotherapists to promote their profession through professional medical organisations.

Main objectives

The main objectives of the IFSP are to:

• Promote Sports Physiotherapy worldwide
• Advance the professional interest and stature of Sports Physiotherapy worldwide
• Improve the quality of Sports Physiotherapy worldwide in terms of knowledge, skills and professional responsibility
• Facilitate efforts to conduct research in order to promote evidence based Sports Physiotherapy
• Encourage communication and exchange of educational and professional information through various media
• Utilise organisational structure and policy to promote international harmonisation

IFSP try to encourage high standards of Sports Physiotherapy by keeping the athlete / sports person is at the central focus of the organisation. In particular they are concerned with the performance for the athletes, teamwork, complementary expertise and skills, and a multidisciplinary guidelines.

The actions they undertake to achieve this high standard include:

• Promoting and advancing harmonisation of post-basic education and criteria for clinical specialisation
• Evaluating, developing, and harmonising current worldwide clinical skills, guidelines, protocols, ethics, and rules of behaviour specific to Sports Physiotherapy
• Establishing an internationally recognised body of knowledge specific to Sports Physiotherapy
• Encouraging worldwide participation in evidence based practice in Sports Physiotherapy
• Encouraging international scientific research in the field of Sports Physiotherapy and promoting opportunities for the spread of knowledge of new developments
• Encouraging communication and exchange of educational and professional information between member organisations and their individual members through: International Congress; seminars; IFSP website; and a web based scientific magazine
• Encouraging working visits between individual members of the associated organisations
• Facilitating the development of international networks of all specialty areas in which Sport Physiotherapists practice including Olympic, professional, elite, disabled, and other athletic populations
• Developing a list of registered or board certified specialists in Sports Physiotherapy
• Facilitating job rotation
• Promoting communication and co-operation with other healthcare professionals, organisations, agencies and professional associations in areas of mutual interest.

The International Federation of Sports Physiotherapy is made up of several special interest committees (see diagram for breakdown). Click diagram thumbnail for larger version. This will open in a new window, close window to return to this page.