In an effort to teach professional footballers how to perform life-saving first-aid measures, UEFA and the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) have launched a new initiative. Following Danish professional footballer Christian Eriksen’s on-camera cardiovascular arrest during the 2021 European Championships, the project aims to help players to improve their first-aid and life-saving skills.

Based in Linz, Austria, SINUS Linz, opens an external URL in a new window is a group of dedicated volunteers who have a common interest in emergency medicine. In July, the group held resuscitation courses for the Austrian U19 women's team and Norwegian U21 men's soccer team in Illmitz and Saalfelden. Held in accordance with the ERC's international standards, the courses focused particularly on providing immediate first-aid and life-saving measures. The Johannes Kepler University Linz’ support was of great importance, providing the required training material and actively contributing to raising awareness of just how important early resuscitation is. In addition, six of the seven instructors at the U21 session were medical students at the JKU’s Faculty of Medicine.

The initiative illustrates both the JKU’s and the SINUS Linz association's commitment to the welfare of others and the responsibility to take action and provide first-aid in an effort to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. Their involvement in this important program to teach professional soccer players how to respond to a medical emergency contributes to raising awareness of just how important it is to understand how to apply life-saving measures.