The present volume originated in an Advanced Research Workshop held at the Turkish Armed Forces Rehabilitation Center in Ankara, 7–11 May 2007. This was a workshop hosted by the Centre of Excellence – Defence Against Terrorism (COE–DAT), which was opened in Ankara in 2005 with the purpose of supporting NATO on defence issues related to terrorism. Turkey is the framework nation, and at present six other nations also contribute with staff and funds, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Romania, the Netherlands and Germany. Each year, COE–DAT organizes numerous workshops and courses, bringing academic rigour and institutional expertise in terrorism to NATO, Partnership for Peace (PfP), and Mediterranean Dialogue countries, Non-triple Nations and others.

As amputee sports gain worldwide recognition, it is natural that books and articles begin to be written about them. These would be from very different points of view because of the differing individuals and institutions which have an interest here. This book, Amputee Sports for Victims of Terrorism, is an almost entirely new departure, on the one hand because it takes as its topic these new sports, in particular amputee football, and secondly because the workshop which created it brought together the varied interest groups for the first time. The amputee sportsmen, trainers, administrators, medical professionals, social workers, not to forget the army, came together with the common aims of giving theoretical and practical information on amputee sports, promoting their international organization and regulation, and of increasing awareness of these sports which have been recognised as an effective means of rehabilitating amputees and promoting their well-being. The editors hope that this book will be a useful reference point for future work on amputee sports.

The diverse viewpoints of those who came were reflected in the structure of the workshop and the order in which the papers were delivered, and this structure remains in the collection of those papers in this book. The workshop began with contributions on ‘Sports for the Disabled’, which set the scene. In this session there were two papers, one on “The History of Disabled Sports” (see the chapter by Mr Demirhan Şerefhan), the other on “The History of ‘Modern’ Amputee Football” (see the chapter by Jim Frère). Jim Frère spoke of ‘modern’ amputee football because, as one of the photographs in his chapter proves, the sport was played in an informal way many decades ago.

The topic moved to the physiological background of amputee football. Prof. Dr Col. Kamil Yazıcıoğlu, in his chapter “The Anatomy of Amputee Players,” gives an introduction to anatomy, with an emphasis on terms which apply to one leg amputees. Here, for example, are found the names of the various degrees of leg amputation found among players of amputee football. Prof. Dr Col. Tunç Alp Kalyon (see his chapter on “Muscular Activity and Exercise”) also gives an overview, this time of the different muscle types and, crucial to any training programme, the different kinds of exercises and their effects. While the training programme must include different categories of exercise, for example anaerobic and aerobic, Assoc. Prof. Lt.-Col. Salim Göktepe introduces us to the energy systems of the body which are the reason why these categories of exercise are necessary (see his chapter “Energy Systems in Sports”).

Three other medicine-based topics were considered in the workshop, all of them essential information for those involved in sport. “Sports Injuries and First Aid” are considered by Assoc. Prof. Dr Col. Ali Şehirlioğlu, while “Doping – Drug Misuse in Sports” is the topic of Prof. Dr Aytekin Temizer. While those at the workshop had not come across a case of doping in amputee football, there is no doubt this topic is liable to affect all sports.

The next session of three papers at the workshop treated the subject of the benefits of sports for amputees, both physiological and psychological. Assoc. Prof. Lt.-Col. Ahmet Korkmaz spoke of “The Physiological Effects of Sports in Amputees,” both in terms of corporal and mental health. Fitness also helps to prevent or limit chronic or age-related disorders such as diabetes, cancer and atherosclerosis. Assoc. Prof. Turgay Biçer (see his chapter “Psychology in Sport”) emphasises the role that mental preparedness plays in sporting success, and suggests methods for mental training. Assoc. Prof. Veli Duyan looks at disabled sports from the viewpoint of social work, where sports can be an effective means of social inclusion. He argues for a ‘social model’, as opposed to ‘charity’ or ‘medical’ models, in our approach to disability (see his chapter “The Community Effects of Disabled Sports.”

Two chapters of this book are concerned with sports administration. Prof. Dr Diana Indjov notes some of the successes of the Disability Movement, in her chapter of the same title. However, the situation of the disabled in some countries is far behind that of other countries. Prof. Indjov argues for the need to lobby politicians and achieve changes in the law. Prof. Dr Ivan Kijanskiy, the Secretary-General of the Russian Disabled Football Association, has long experience in organizing this sport in Russia. He considers the importance of securing sponsorship and raising the profile of the game (see his chapter “The Role of Socially-Focused Marketing in the Development of Amputee Football in Russia”). In Russia the Federal Sports Ministry plays the main role in funding amputee football.

In a paper which also presents the history of amputee football in Russia, Mr Sergey Lisitsyn, the trainer of the Olympro team, emphasized the importance of “Coordination in Amputee Football.” He argues that “the purpose of the development of coordination in amputee football goes beyond the mere build-up of the bodily motor skills … to the establishment of a perfectionist psychological framework, and the formation of a vital need for coordination training throughout their lives.”

By this point the topics of the workshop had shifted from the theoretical to the practical, and the floor was open for the practitioners themselves to discuss and demonstrate aspects of the sport. Three sessions of the workshop were spent in the field, with demonstrations of the game from the Turkish National Amputee Team and their trainers. This section of the workshop was introduced by a summary of the rules of the game (see Prof. Dr Col. Kamil Yazıcıoğlu's chapter on “The Rules of Amputee Football”). Mr Fahir Genç, the Head Coach of the Turkish National Amputee Football Team, and the Turkish team showed the workshop the physical building blocks of the game; how an amputee prepares his equipment, runs, turns, shoots, etc. (see Mr Genç's chapter on “Techniques of Amputee Football.” Warm-up and training techniques were shown to the participants by Mr Steve Johnson, the present President of the World Amputee Football Federation, and by the Brazilian trainer Mr Ademir Cruz. Mr Genç and his team demonstrated some training techniques, especially for passing (see the chapter by Mr Fahir Genç on “Practice in the Field”). The final chapter of the book is on “Tactics in Amputee Football”, by Fahir Genç, who presented a paper on this subject at the workshop.

The book concludes with an account by Col. Mete Tahmisoğlu of the Sum-up Session, and some of the lessons learned from the workshop.

Kamil Yazicioğlu, Prof. Dr Col, Scientific Director

Mete Tahmisoğlu, Col. ARW Director