3.1. RATIONALE

With the steady increase in participation in physical activity and outdoor sports, the medical field is beginning to devote growing attention to these disciplines, similarly to what has already occurred for traditional sports.

However, the distinctive characteristics of outdoor activities require a specific medical approach, capable of taking into account key factors such as:

  • practice in uncontrolled or poorly controlled environments, in contrast to the regulated settings typical of traditional sports;
  • performances requiring dedicated equipment or vehicles, such as boats or aircraft, as well as specific gear or technical equipment;
  • exposure to environmental variables, including sun exposure, water immersion, humidity, and extreme temperatures;
  • prolonged or intermittent duration of performance, often exceeding that of conventional disciplines;
  • complex and non-repetitive athletic gestures and motor patterns.

The growing interest of the medical community in these sports is reflected both in the increasing number of publications indexed in PubMed (Fig. 1), and in the emergence of academic events and initiatives dedicated to this field.

Fig. 1. Results by year obtained from a search on PubMed for OES (search performed using the following query string: [“extreme sports” OR “outdoor sports”]).

Since 2014, the International Extreme Sports Medicine Congress has been held biennially in Boulder (CO, USA), organized by the University of Colorado; since 2021, the Extreme Sports Medicine Course has been held in Hobart (Australia), promoted by the University of Tasmania.

Although there is not yet a scientific journal entirely dedicated to this field, the journal Adventure Medic regularly addresses adventure sports (www.theadventuremedic.com), while the prestigious Wilderness & Environmental Medicine includes among its aims the publication of research on performance in extreme environmental conditions 1 2.

In this context, EXTREMESPORTMED aims to promote research, education, and dissemination in the field of outdoor physical activity and sports medicine.

3.2. AIMS AND SCOPE

The scientific society EXTREMESPORTMED carries out scientific, clinical, educational, and cultural promotion activities in the field of sports medicine, with particular reference to outdoor physical activity and extreme sports.

The scope of interest of this Association includes physical activity performed outdoors, according to the definition of physical activity provided by the World Health Organization.

The Association’s field of interest also includes so-called extreme sports.

Among the disciplines of interest are explicitly included those sports that require specific considerations in relation to the level of physical demand (e.g., marathons and ultramarathons), environmental conditions and setting (e.g., high-altitude activities, underwater activities), or the type of technical skill required (e.g., parkour, skydiving).

The Association’s interest extends to these activities regardless of the level of participation, whether recreational or competitive, explicitly including so-called “extreme” sports that are part of Olympic programs (e.g., skiing, snowboarding, kiteboarding, triathlon, sport climbing, sailing, mountain biking) (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. The Society focuses on applied medicine along a continuum ranging from outdoor physical activity to outdoor sports, practiced at both amateur and professional levels. Rider: Airton Cozzolino. Source: Feletti F (Ed) Extreme Sports Medicine, Springer, 2017.

The scientific society EXTREMESPORTMED was founded in Italy in 2013, initially as a cultural association.

In September 2017, it organized a Summer School for PhD students and healthcare professionals at the Lecco Campus of the Politecnico di Milano, with the aim of training researchers capable of initiating the Association’s first scientific projects.

Building on the outcomes of this experience, the Society held its first congress in Malcesine on July 12–13, 2019, titled Action Sports & Exercise Congress, which brought together 120 scholars and professionals from across Europe, the USA, Brazil, and Australia.

Participants included exclusively researchers and professionals in the medical and rehabilitation fields, as well as representatives of national and international sports federations.

On May 16, 2023, EXTREMESPORTMED updated its Statute in accordance with the requirements of the Italian Ministry of Health, in order to obtain inclusion in the List of Scientific Societies and Technical-Scientific Associations of Health Professions.

The new Statute was formally registered as a public deed in Ravenna on May 19, 2023.

On January 8, 2024, EXTREMESPORTMED was officially included in the List of Scientific and Technical-Scientific Societies of the Italian Ministry of Health (Fig. 3).

Although it is a multidisciplinary entity open to all Health Professions, the Society primarily involves physicians and physiotherapists.

Fig. 3. Front page of the List of Scientific and Technical-Scientific Societies of the Italian Ministry of Health.

3.4. REPRESENTATION AND DISSEMINATION

The main medical disciplines of interest include:

  • Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine
  • Imaging Diagnostics
  • Sports Medicine
  • Orthopedics
  • Emergency Medicine

The Society has national representation, with active sections or representatives in 19 Regions and Autonomous Provinces of Italy:
Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy, Lazio, Veneto, Marche, Piedmont, Apulia, Calabria, Autonomous Province of Trento, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Abruzzo, Sicily, Basilicata, Tuscany, Umbria, Liguria, Sardinia, Valle d’Aosta.

The Association also has an international presence and currently includes members from 12 countries:
Switzerland, Germany, United States, Poland, Austria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Japan, India, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom.

3.5. PURPOSES

According to its Statute, the main purposes of the Society include:

1. Professional training
Through courses and educational events, including those within Continuing Medical Education (CME), with particular reference to:

  • diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries;
  • medical assistance at mass sporting events (e.g., marathons, triathlon competitions);
  • innovative diagnostic and therapeutic options, including the development of rehabilitation protocols.

2. Collaboration in the healthcare field
Including the development of guidelines and shared documents with:

  • Italian Ministry of Health
  • Regional authorities
  • Healthcare organizations
  • Universities
  • Health service agencies
  • Public and private bodies and institutions

3. Institutional collaborations
With various bodies and institutions, including:

  • Italian National Olympic Committee
  • International Olympic Committee
  • National and international sports federations
  • Other authorities and institutions

3.6. ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

The Association operates to safeguard ethical and professional principles in both professional and scientific contexts and to promote the criteria of evidence-based medicine.

Its activities are strictly oriented toward preventing undue interference and conflicts of interest in the development of scientific projects, dissemination initiatives, and services carried out in collaboration with institutions and companies.

In particular, with regard to scientific research, the Association adheres to the European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity 3.

Pursuant to Article 9 of the Statute, all members of the Association’s governing bodies are required to actively prevent situations of conflict of interest related to their professional activities and their roles within the Society.

Finally, the scientific society does not promote, encourage, or incentivize the practice of risky or potentially hazardous activities: it consistently operates to protect health and promotes informed and responsible participation in sports.

  1. Adventure Medic. About Adventure Medic. https://www.theadventuremedic. com/about-adventure-medic [Accessed on March 2024]. ↩︎
  2. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. Aims & Scope. https://www.wemjournal. org/content/aims [Accessed on March 2024]. ↩︎
  3. European Code of Conduct for Research available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021 2027/horizon/guidance/european-code-of-conduct-forresearch integrity_horizon_en.pdf ↩︎