Correspondence Address:
Abdel Galil M Abdel Gader
Editor-in-Chief, The Saudi Journal of Sports Medicine

Full Text

This editorial is very special as it carries the emotional farewell to the Saudi Journal of Sports Medicine, its authors, readers, and all who contributed tirelessly to give their support and encouragement to me personally and to journal since its launching 16 years ago.

When the idea of publishing a sports medicine journal emerged from the council of the Saudi Sports Medicine Association, we realized from the beginning that it is going to be a huge challenge and monumental task to get a new medical journal to find its way in the field of publication already swarmed by thousands of publications including numerous sports medicine journals. However, we were encouraged by the fact that the specialty of sports medicine is still growing, maturing, and expanding fast in our region and in Asia. We also believed that the journal will have the elements of success initially if it can tempt authors in these regions to publish their research findings in our newly born journal. Over the successive years, our predictions materialized and we soon realized the journal is getting recognized in more and more countries in Asia. Our luck was boosted astronomically when we joined forces with an international publisher (Medknow), who transformed the journal completely and gave it a new look and much wider exposure, especially when they took it online.

Now, we are gratified that in the current issue, we are publishing articles from almost no less than four continents; reflecting clearly one great advantage of publishing online.

To all authors past and present, the editorial team at Medknow, colleagues members of the editorial board and of course the president and secretary general and members of the council of the Saudi Sports Medicine Federation, past and present, I offer my deeply felt gratitude for their sincere efforts to see the journal project striking this remarkable progress and success.

God bless all.