The inaugural Centre of Excellence Summit hosted by the FIA, FIA Institute and French Ministry of Sport will be held at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, France, on 18-19 January, 2007.

The theme of the summit will be 'Management of Risk in Sport', the first time the subject will have been tackled at a high-level seminar. The event will feature keynote speeches from French Minister of Sport Jean-François Lamour and FIA President Max Mosley. They will be joined on the conference programme by senior officials from the International Olympic Committee, American Football's NFL and the worlds of football, rugby, skiing, cycling and boxing.

“This is the first of what we hope will be a number of joint seminars with other major sporting bodies which aim to address some of the significant issues facing sport today,” explained Mosley. “We are grateful for all the support we have received from Minister Lamour and it is appropriate that we commence this new programme with the first ever high-level conference about the effective management of risk in sport, a subject which is of increasing concern for every organiser, competitor or regulator world-wide.”

“Risk-taking is one of the major characteristics inherent in practising a sport,” Lamour added. “So how can one manage the risks connected with a sport, without at the same time curbing the athletes' or teams' performance? The experts who will be speaking at this first FIA Institute Summit will cast a new light on this problem and examine potential solutions.”

The 'Management of Risk in Sport' theme will be introduced by Professor Gerard Saillant, Deputy President of the FIA Institute. It is a subject in which Professor Saillant, an orthopaedic surgeon who has operated on some of the world's top sporting stars, is particularly experienced.

“Sport, whether for leisure or competition, is above all a source of many benefits,” he said. “However, if it is poorly understood or practised incorrectly, or even excessively, it can entail risks that can pose a threat to the health of the athlete concerned.

“Furthermore, in modern sport there are new risks, which also affect the national institutions, organisers and even spectators. These include legal and financial risks as well as risks to public safety.

“The aim of this summit, which will have the advantage of bringing together a panel of international speakers from various sports, is to define these risks and propose solutions to prevent them.”

The summit will make use of the conference facilities at Paul Ricard, the first circuit to be recognised by the FIA Institute as a Centre of Excellence.