What is WFATT?
History of the World Federation of Athletic Training & Therapy （WFATT）
The concept of a global organization representing athletic training began in 1998 in Dallas, Texas, when National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) President Kent Falb and the NATA Board of Directors ordered a study “to examine the education, credentialing, and development” of athletic training worldwide. At that time, athletic training/athletic therapy, as we knew it, existed only in North America.
The World Federation of Athletic Training & Therapy (WFATT) was formed in 2000, at a June meeting in Los Angeles, California. Under the leadership of the NATA and Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA), the primary purpose was to provide a forum for health care professionals to exchange ideas, treatment techniques, and knowledge. Dr. Michael Ferrara (NATA) was the first President from 2000 - 2005.
The vision was to be “an organization of associations whose vision to improve healthcare for athletes and physically active individuals”. That vision continues today, although, based on decisions made at a 2016 strategic planning, the vision was modified to state, “Athletic Training & Therapy will be recognized as an essential part of multidisciplinary healthcare teams worldwide”.
The previous vision later reflected as a mission statement: “The World Federation of Athletic Training and Therapy provides leadership to advance the international interests of its members for the common goal of optimal health care for physically active populations”.
The mandate of the WFATT
It is the mandate of the WFATT to be the voice and face of Athletic Therapy and to be an advocate for the profession with other international organizations such as the International Olympic Committee, Federation International de Medicine Sportive commonly known as FIMS, the European Federation of Sport Medicine Associations, the Asian Federation of Sport Medicine and even the United Nations and UNICEF.
Our current members (Alphabetical order)
United States of America
Canada
United Kingdom
Ireland
Japan
Korea
Spain
Taiwan
*Recently, a number of countries are applying to be the member, as well.
the first President from 2000 - 2005 Dr. Michael Ferrara （NATA）
the second President from 2005 - 2010 Dr. Cathy Ortega （NATA)
the third President from 2010 - 2017 Dr. Larry Leverenz（NATA）
the fourth President from 2017 – current Dr. Glen Bergeron（CATA）
The activities of WFATT through its history
In the early years of the WFATT, through sponsorship from Johnson & Johnson and subsidies from the NATA, athletic trainers and therapists from the US and Canada represented the WFATT in workshops and presentations in several countries. Notably, those workshops were held in China, Ireland, and England. In each of those countries athletic training and therapy has developed into a profession recognized by the appropriate government agency. In each, educational programming has evolved into formal university curricula.
In 2009, as part of the 2009 WFATT World Congress in San Antonio, the WFATT held an Education Summit. Out of that summit, came the notion that there might be some base set of “standards” that could be created that could be the beginning of a formalized common practice of athletic training/therapy globally.
Thanks to the efforts of Dr. Greg Gardner, The WFATT Global Program Recognition Standards were developed and approved. Much of this work was the precursor for the first Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signed by the Board of Certification (BOC)* and the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association (CATA) in 2005. *Board of Certification(BOC): accreditation organization of Athletic Trainer
The MRA was renamed the Mutual Recognition Agreement in 2015 when a five-year tripartite agreement was signed between the BOC, the CATA and the Athletic Rehabilitation and Therapy Ireland (ARTI).
Past WFATT World Congress
I 2000 LA, US
II 2003 Victoria, Canada
III 2005 Edinburgh, Scotland
IV 2007 Tokyo, Japan
V 2009 San Antonio, US
VI 2011 Banff, Canada
VII 2014 St Louis, US
VIII 2015 Dublin, Ireland
IX 2017 Madrid, Spain
X 2019 Tokyo, Japan
