The World Netball has appointed Prof. Christa Janse van Rensburg, who heads the Section of Sports Medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Chair of the World Netball Medical Advisory Panel (MAP). 

The World Netball Medical Advisory Panel advises the World Netball CEO and Board on medical, health, and well-being issues and works closely with them to support the development and implementation of agreed priorities in the Strategic Plan.

Prof Janse van Rensburg has been a member of the Panel for two terms of two years, and as a qualified Sports Physician, a contributor to many educational publications, and Head of the Sports Medicine Section and Full Professor at the University of Pretoria, she has a wide range of knowledge, experience and leadership skills she can bring to the Panel as the Chair.

In netball, Prof Janse van Rensburg has been a team doctor at a number of events, including the All-African Games and Commonwealth Games, and has also provided medical support to other sports, notably at the Olympic Games in 2004.

Prof Janse van Rensburg will replace Dr. Grace Bryant as Chair, who will be retiring from the Panel after spending one four-year term as Chair in addition to her ten years as a panel member.

Thanking Dr Grace, World Netball CEO Clare Briegal said: "Dr Grace has been on our Medical Advisory Panel since its inception in 2006. During this time Dr Grace has been instrumental in developing the WN Medical Advisory Panel's role and scope of work, supporting our Members and our international events". 

"Dr Grace led the development of the injury reporting and data capture through a mobile app and was Medical Commissioner for the Vitality Netball World Cup 2019". 

"In anti-doping she has helped to provide education, to protect the clean athlete and the integrity of netball. "During the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Grace supported the Back to Netball Task Force, helping us to develop a return-to-play framework and infection control procedures to support our Members. Thank you, Dr Grace, for your commitment to netball and for all that you have done to grow our sport and ensure that we remain a leader in good governance."

New Chair of MAP,  Prof Janse van Rensburg added: "I feel honoured to be appointed Chair of the Medical Advisory Panel for World Netball.

"I need to fill the big shoes left by Dr. Grace Bryant, but I am looking forward to it. I want to keep the momentum we have built in the Panel over the past few years to service World Netball in an evidence-based way". 

"I also want to help develop the acknowledgment of Netball as a global sport by doing and motivating more research in this sport."

The recruitment process for members of MAP is now well underway, and the new members will be announced in the coming months.