Millions of fans are brought together every day to witness the excitement and drama of sport. When athletes can perform at their best, uninhibited by injury, it makes these spectacles of sport even more exhilarating. This is the mission of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic (FICS). The volunteer professionals of FICS are dedicated to keeping athletes equally matched competitively by offering free treatments to the athletes of the CSIT World Sport Games in Tortosa.
Many nations competing in events now have a requirement that a chiropractor travel with each team for sporting events, but this creates a major disadvantage for those nations unable to fund the role. FICS works with event organizers so every athlete may have and equal the opportunity to have chiropractic care.
“Athlete centered care is fundamental to our mission, FICS President Pete Garbutt said. “Quite often chiropractic care is a matter of tuning the body and removing any limitations that training and competing might have created along the way. This is a natural improvement and gives athletes the best chance to succeed because we are creating the level play field they deserve.”
The FICS organization was first formed in the 1980’s when a group of chiropractors gathered through a shared love of sport and a desire to support smaller nations and federations. Its vision is to offer specialist services to all athletes, not just those that can afford it. Since its official formation in 1985, FICS has gone on to become a GAISF Associate Member, playing a key role in supporting athletes at the world’s biggest events, including the Olympic Games, the Asian Games and the World Games.
The federation now presides over 24 member nations and has almost 2,000 Chiropractors registered and willing to travel the world in support of athletes. It is not a paid position; each individual takes part in their own time and at their own cost, however this hasn’t stopped the federation growing.
In addition to attending events for practical support, FICS is active in education programs, both online and in person, ensuring that every chiropractor associated with FICS has gone through rigorous training to maintain a high standard of service and an assurance for partnering federations.
The selflessness and commitment to help a team are attributes that are fundamental in sport, and FICS embodies these traits. Their goal has never changed: to ensure every team has an equal opportunity to succeed.
“We identify with an athlete’s drive to succeed and perform at their best,” said Tim Ray, chair of the International Games Commission of FICS. “We love helping athletes, we easily become invested in seeing them succeed, and enjoy being able to make an important difference in minimizing their risk of injury.”
Dr. Ray adds, “We are really grateful to the CSIT organization for their support in allowing FICS to participate as partners in these games.”
