SportMed Safety

Injury prevention and injury treatment are at the very heart of Sport Medicine. SportMed Safety programs span everything from sports taping and sports first aid to proper equipment and gear for beginners and performance athletes alike. We also work closely with sport organizations and sport event organizers to ensure that their members and competitors have access to the safest possible conditions.

The core SportMed Safety programs, in Sports First Aid and Sports Taping, are offered as courses throughout the province of British Columbia.

In recent years, SportMedBC has conducted Sports First Aid and Injury Prevention Training in the provincial high school system. Its vision is to train teachers to deliver the program within their school curriculum. There are now more than 150 teachers qualified to deliver the SportMed course in Sports First Aid and Injury Prevention.

SportMedBC is also working with BC Colleges and Universities in offering sport medicine and injury prevention courses, providing students with provincial certification equivalencies.

History

Today’s SportMed Safety programs have evolved from the very beginnings of SportMedBC, which was founded in 1982. The first BC SportsAid program—SportMed First Aid—was initiated that year and launched in 1983. Athletic taping was incorporated as a module in the program in 1984. The principles developed by the leading authorities in sports first-aid were then applied to SportMedBC’s provision of event medical support at the first Vancouver Sun Run in 1985. In the 1990s, these same principles became the foundation for the BC SportsAid program delivered to community coaches, sport officials, parents and registered fitness leaders as part of their compulsory training for certification, beginning in 1992.

'Sports First Aid: A Guide to Sports Injuries' exemplifies the programs available to prospective first aiders and interested athletes, coaches and team managers. These courses are a requisite for professionals in the field seeking first-aid certification but are also extremely valuable for athletes, coaches, managers and sports officials interested in basic information and background on injuries and injury prevention.

SportMedBC continues to be the leading source for Event Medical Coverage for events such as the Vancouver Sun Run and other major provincial, national and international championships held in British Columbia.