Dear Colleagues,

I would like to inform you that yesterday we have agreed with the Mayor of the city that World Medical Football Championship will take place on 7-12 July, 2008  in Klaipeda city, Lithuania.

Klaipėda is the city in Lithuania with the population of about 190 thousand. It is situated in the Western part of the country. Klaipeda is also an ice-free port on the coast of the Baltic Sea and Curonian Lagoon. The best place during the summer is the seaside, so I hope that
all our guests will enjoy it.

I look forward to seeing you in Lithuania!

Best regards,

Romualdas Sabaliauskas

The XIV Global Congress on
Medicine and Health in Sport and
World Medical Football Championship
7-12 July 2008
Klaipeda, Lithuania

The XIV Global Congress on Medicine and Health in Sport and World Medical Football Championship for 2008 will be hosted by Lithuanian Medical Football Association in Klaipeda city, on the coast of Baltic Sea, Lithuania.
It is with great pleasure that The World Medical Football Federation seeks to carry on the tradition of uniting Medicine and Football. After the beautiful Gold Coast in Australia last year, the Congress and Championship for 2008 will took place in another beautiful coast at the opposite side of the world – Klaipeda on the coast of the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea is one of the fascinating areas in the world - with a rich history, an unspoiled nature in a safe and secure environment.
We welcome teams and professionals from all over the world to join us and we look forward to meeting you in Lithuania, July 7th, 2008. All the partners involved will do their best to create a pleasant championship atmosphere, and look forward to seeing you in Klaipeda!
Location
The XIV Global Congress on Medicine and Health in Sport and World Medical Football Championship location – Klaipeda – the third largest city of Lithuania – is situated in the Western part of the country. It is the capital of West Lithuania. It is an ice-free port on the coast of the Baltic Sea and Curonian Lagoon. The city is famous for its old traditions, cultural events and places of interest.
How to reach Klaipeda

You can reach Lithuania by flying to Vilnius, Palanga or Kaunas International Airports. Please contact your local travel agency.

The closest airport to Klaipeda is Palanga International Airport (PLQ). It is situated on the Western part of the country on the coast of the Baltic Sea and located only 30 km North from Klaipėda city. The regular flights are operated to Copenhagen (Denmark) and Amsterdam (Netherlands). More information on http://www.palanga-airport.lt/en/

Vilnius International Airport (VNO) is the main country‘s airport located from the centre of the capital city at a distance of 7 km. It is well connected to the major European cities: Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Moscow, Prague, Vienna, Warsaw etc. It is situated in about 300 km East from Klaipeda. Klaipeda can be easily reached by motorway in approx. 3.5 hour drive. More information is available at http://www.vilnius-airport.lt/en/ .

Kaunas International Airport (KUN) is situated on the way between Vilnius and Klaipeda, in about 200 km distance East direction from Klaipeda city. By motorway Klaipeda can be easily reached in approx. 2.5 hour drive. Low fares airline Ryanair has direct flights from London (Stansted), Dublin, Frankfurt (Hahn), Glasgow (Prestwick), Shannon, Liverpool. Swedish airline Stockholmsplanet has a flight from Kaunas to Vaxjo in Southern Sweden. More information can be found on http://www.kaunasair.lt .

Klaipeda also can be reached by ferry. Ferry lines link Klaipėda with the ports of Karlshamn and Åhuss in Sweden; Kiel, Mukran (Sassnitz) and Travemünde ports in Germany; as well as Aarhus and Aabenraa ports in Denmark.

For further information, please contact local organizers.

Accommodation
Hotel rooms have been reserved for special rates for the Championship and Congress delegates at the hotels listed below. These locations are all within walking distance of each other and the main Congress venue, Klaipeda Hotel. Please note any Championship event activities requiring a coach/bus pickup will only be made from these locations listed.
To confirm a reservation, please contact the chosen hotel and refer to “The World Medical Football Championship“ as soon as possible but no latter than April 30, 2008. After this date the special reservation option is no longer valid. Please settle your bill directly with the management of the hotel for your room and for any other changes (laundry, room service, bar bills, telephone calls, etc.). All major credit cards are accepted. The hotel “Klaipėda” is recommended for the delegates as it will be the main Championship hotel and Congress venue.
The hotel “Klaipėda” is the biggest seaside hotel located in the heart of the seaport, next to business and trade centres. You will easily reach the most famous architectural objects of Klaipėda and places visited by tourists. Renovated hotel “Klaipėda” can offer all sorts of entertainment and recreation under one roof: from modern sports complex entertainment to night life spree.
210 cozy and comfortable single, double, luxury rooms, “Royal” apartments on the 10th floor are at your service in the hotel. Rooms are available both for smoking and non smoking guests. Each hotel room has either a shower or a bathtub, WC, satellite TV, phone, minibar, hair-dryer, possibility to access the Internet. Business class luxury rooms have massage baths, plasma TV sets. Through hotel windows a wonderful view of the Old town and city centre opens.

Congress Venue
"KLAIPĖDA" Hotel
Naujojo Sodo Street 1,
LT-5800 Klaipėda, Lietuva
Tel.: +370 46 404372,
Fax +370 46 404373,
E-mail hotel@klaipedahotel.lt
www.klaipedahotel.lt
The Congress venue – Klaipeda Hotel - is freshly renovated situated in the very center of the city. A modern conference hall is equipped with air-conditioner and with all necessary equipment.
For those who are not staying at the hotel, we suggest reaching the meeting venue on foot, as it is easy to reach.
Congress Language
The official language of the Congress will be English.
Tournament Venue
Details will be posted later.

Weather and Clothing
Average monthly air temperature in Klaipėda in July is +19.4o C, though it can reach up to 30o C. As always going to foreign countries, don't forget to take your umbrella and warmer sweater! You will not be forced to bath in the sea of 17-19 oC, however bathing suit is necessary in summer at the seaside. Seaside resorts are very popular among Lithuanians and quite crowded in summer.

Local Currency
Local currency is Litas. Rate for the Litas against the Euro is 3.45 : 1. There are ATM machines in the country, which accept major credit and bank cards. A 24-hour currency exchange is located in the arrival hall in Vilnius airport. You can also change your money at the hotels. Most establishments accept major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, Euro Card and - more rarely - American Express.

Entry formalities
For a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, the US, the Nordic countries and EU countries, the entry to Lithuania is visa-free. We kindly request that you check this information for yourself before you travel to visit us.

Championship registration
To register your country in the World Medical Football Championship, Klaipeda Lithuania 2008, you will have to send a registration form which will be posted on the website later. http://www.worldmedicalfootballfederation.com/
To apply to be part of the Championship you will need to provide by April 30, 2008:

• 2 passport style photos per team member
• A copy of each player’s Order of Medicine
• Deposit monies totaling 25% of team entry fee. Balance of entry fee due May 31, 2008

Entry Fee
The 2008 entry fee is set at €4500 euros per team. A deposit of €1125 euros (25%) is payable with your teams registration application. Balance of team entry fee is payable by May 31, 2008. Fees can be made payable to Lithuanian Medical Football Association, or online transfers can be made to bank account as follows:

Bank: AB SEB Vilniaus bankas
Address: Gedimino av. 12, LT-01103, Vilnius, Lithuania
Bank code: 70440
BIC (SWIFT code): CBVI LT 2X
Account Holder:Lithuanian Medical Football Association
IBAN (Account number):LT 37044060001162687

Contacts

Contact person:
Rita Pazdrazdyte
E-mail: ritapazdrazdyte@gmail.com
Tel. +370 686 57274

During the Championship, staff with badges will be able to assist you.

Social programme

Details of the tourist packages will be posted as they become available.

Klaipeda
Klaipeda – the third largest city of Lithuania – is situated in the Western part of the country. It is the capital of West Lithuania. It is an ice-free port on the coast of the Baltic Sea and Curonian Lagoon. The city is famous for its old traditions, cultural events and places of interest.
Klaipeda Old Town with its tight network of streets, enchanting interior courtyards, German Fachwerk buildings and, above all, the famous Drama Theatre and Square, has remained virtually unchanged since the 17th century.
As a direct contrast, the Klaipeda of today is an exciting modern city with an expanding harbour, large transit terminal and free trade zone. Due to its excellent location and facilities, Klaipeda, together with neighbouring Palanga and Nida, is a booming summer resort. Visitors can enjoy the city's wealth of cultural events and entertainment; many of these festivities are associated with the sea, the most popular being the Sea Festival held annually at the end of July.

Klaipeda is one of the oldest cities in the country. In 1252 Teutonic Knights built the castle of Memelburg at the mouth of the Dane River. Memelburg gave birth to Klaipeda City. Klaipeda became the centre of Kuršas diocese. Klaipeda was granted Lübeck City Right in 1254. According to the agreement of the German Order in Prussia and Livonia in 1328, Klaipeda and its surroundings were transmitted to the German Order in Prussia and later became a part of Prussia Duchy and Kingdom. During Reformation in Prussia, the Lithuanian Church was established in 1525. It enabled the Lithuanian community to consolidate beside the German community. Little by little, Klaipeda started to take the traits of a multi-cultural city. During the period of 1629-1635 Klaipeda was ruled by the Swedes. The merchants of Klaipeda were granted a privilege to develop the sea trade independently in 1657, which enabled the city to develop faster as a port. In the middle of the 17th century new fortifications were established and Klaipeda became a city-fortress.

Klaipeda was ruled by Russia from 1757 to 1762. In 1770 it lost the status of a city-fortress. For one year Klaipeda became the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1808, the order of abolishment of serfdom was legislated in Klaipeda, major reforms were started in the Kingdom of Prussia. Russian platoons occupied Klaipeda in 1812. As stated in the Versailles Agreement, in 1919 Klaipeda was separated from Germany and placed under the protectorate of the Entente States. Just in 1923 Klaipeda was returned to the Republic of Lithuania. In 1989 the first non-communist city council was elected. The University of Klaipeda was founded  in 1991. One of the first Free Economic Zones of Lithuania was established in Klaipeda in 1997.
Fires in 1540 and 1854 devastated a large part of the city.
The famous German poet Simon Dach was born in Klaipeda in 1605. In honour of the poet the sculpture of Anicke was put on the square of Theatre and has become the symbol of the Klaipeda city. The famous astronomer Friedrich Wilhelm August Argelander was born in 1799.

Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of the Republic of Lithuania and one of the most outstanding cities in Eastern Europe. It is the largest administrative centre in Lithuania with all major political, economical, social and cultural centres. It is situated in South-eastern Lithuania at the confluence of the River Vilnele and the River Neris. It has an international airport and is well connected to most European countries. The Old Town, historical centre of Vilnius, is one of the largest in Eastern Europe formed in the 13th - 16th centuries. The buildings in the Old Town have been built at different periods of time, therefore, it is a mixture of all European architectural styles. Because of its uniqueness, the Old Town of Vilnius in 1994 was included into the UNESCO List of the World Heritage Sites.
Vilnius was first mentioned as the capital of Lithuania in 1323, in the letters of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas to the leaders of Western Europe states. Gediminas castle – the heart of the city is one of the first buildings of the Gothic style. From the tower there is beautiful view of the Old Town. Next to Gediminas hill you can see the Hill of Three Crosses – symbols of Lithuanian mourning and hope. At the foot of Gediminas hill stands Vilnius Cathedral Basilica, which shows the plendour and elegance of Classicism. The Vilnius Cathedral has always been Lithuania's most important worship place. It is from the Cathedral Square that the two main streets of the capital begin: Pilies (Castle) Street and Gedimino Avenue.
Vilnius was developing around the Town Hall like all medieval towns. The central Old Town's Pilies Street linked the governors’ palace and the Town Hall. Narrow, curved streets and small cosy courtyards developed to the radial layout of the medieval Vilnius.
Built at the beginning of the 16th century, St. Anne's Church is a masterpiece of late Lithuanian Gothic. Thirty-three different types of bricks were used in the facade. According to legend, Napoleon Bonaparte was so enraptured by St. Anne's Church that he exclaimed his desire to bring the church back to France in the palm of his hand.
The oldest standing church in Lithuania is St Nicholas' Church built in 1320 by German merchants before Lithuania's conversion to Christianity.
St. Teresa's Church, the Carmelites monastery and the Dawn Gate chapel make up a complex of architecture of the Renaissance, Baroque and late Classicism. In the Chapel of the Dawn Gate a picture of God's Mother is preserved, reputed for miracle – working powers.

You can find the President's Residence created in the style of late Classicism with elements of Empire, the Vilnius University, which was founded in 1579, and many more places of interest in the Old Town and arround. The Baroque is the major city heritage feature nowadays. The gem of Vinius Baroque is Sts. Peter and Paul's church, built in the second half of the 17th century. Over 2000 stuccoed figures crowd the vaults, representing mythological, biblical and battle scenes.
In the neighbourhood of the old Vilnius part new and modern establishments are growing up with plenty of offices, shopping and entertainment centers.
More information about the capital of Lithuania – www.vilnius-tourism.lt, www.vilnius.lt.