Call for Abstracts

All submissions must be made online via the website; submissions sent by email will not be considered.
All submissions will undergo peer review by the Scientific Committee.
Please note that accepted abstracts will either be presented as posters, live from the podium, or electronically as determined by the scientific committee.
Presenting authors of accepted submissions are responsible for registration fees, travel, and accommodation. Sponsorship is not provided by the Organising Committee; presenters are encouraged to seek their own if required.
At least one author is required to attend the congress in person to present the accepted abstract. Virtual participation is not available.
All accepted abstracts will be published in the South African Journal of Sports Medicine.

The deadline for abstract submissions is 13 September 2026. Registrars/residents, and students are especially encouraged to submit.
The corresponding author will be notified by email of the review outcome by 30 September 2026.
Full registration, including payment, must be completed by the dates stipulated in the acceptance letters.

Submissions must be in English only.
The abstract title should be in sentence case (only the first word of the title and any proper nouns or names should begin with a capital letter) and should not exceed 25 words.
The abstract body should be in paragraph form and not exceed 350 words. Abstracts submitted in ALL CAPS will not be considered.
The abstract should include the following subheadings:
• Background/Aim: Briefly describe the study and state the aim.
• Methodology: Describe subjects and research methods.
• Results: Outline findings, supported by statistics where appropriate. Figures, graphs, or tables should not be included; data must allow peer review.
• Conclusion: Summarise the main findings and their relevance.
Provide the full name, surname, affiliation, and country of all authors, listing the presenting author first. Do not include qualifications. Ensure all authors have approved their inclusion.
Carefully proofread the abstract for spelling, grammar, and factual accuracy before submission. All accepted abstracts will be published as submitted.
Complete all required fields on the online submission form accurately.

Sport-related concussion recognition and assessment - Current approaches to multimodal assessment, pitch-side recognition, SCAT6/SCOAT6 implementation and objective error measurement.
Rehabilitation and return to sport - Evidence-informed rehabilitation across cervical, vestibular, neuromuscular, sensorimotor and functional domains.
Paediatric and youth athlete brain health - Developmentally appropriate care for school and youth athletes, including return-to-learn and return-to-play considerations.
Para sport and inclusive athlete care - Adapted protocols, classification-sensitive practice and brain health in athletes with disability.
Neuropsychology and cognitive assessment - Cognitive recovery, assessment validity, equity in testing and the role of locally responsive tools.
Mental health and long-term brain health - Neuropsychiatric, neurological and psychosocial dimensions of ongoing athlete care.
Cultural and linguistic equity - Culturally and linguistically appropriate concussion tools for South African and African settings.
Other

The submitting author is considered the presenting author and will serve as the corresponding author.
All accepted abstract presentations are required to be delivered in person; virtual presentations cannot be accommodated.
In case of emergency, a co-author may be nominated.
Presenting authors are responsible for their own registration and any other fees associated with attending the congress. Accepted submissions will only be included in the programme once full registration and payment have been completed.
All accepted submissions will be used as received, without further editing. Abstracts that do not comply with the required format may not be included in official congress materials or other dissemination platforms.