The All-Star Game for basketball doctors

As part of the 2026 All-Star Weekend, on February 14, VTB Arena hosted the first ever conference in Russian basketball history dedicated to current issues in sports medicine.

The official speakers were:
Yuri Kozhokar, a physician and consultant for the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) national teams;
Timofey Gayev, a physician for PBC CSKA;
Dimitris Aftosmidis, a PBC CSKA injury prevention coach;
Alisa Abayeva, an anti-doping specialist for the RBF.

Lokomotiv Kuban was represented by Konstantin Shubin, the club’s head of medical services, and Ivan Kaperzov, a rehabilitation specialist.

The event was great. Besides the keynote presentations on important topics, there were live discussions, giving us the opportunity to network, express our points of view and nuances. Nothing compares to personal interaction. When you speak with colleagues who are facing the same problem as you do, you get feedback and understand which methods work best. And the more you interact with people who have faced some specific situations, the better is your knowledge.

Konstantin Shubin, the head of medical services at Lokomotiv Kuban PBC

Similar events have been held for several years by the Kontinental Hockey League and the Russian Football Union. Now, basketball doctors also have a convenient platform for sharing their experiences in person.

It's convenient that the conference coincides with the All-Star Game. Players from every club attend, so our event doesn't impact training much. So, a huge thanks to the League and the Russian Basketball Federation for organizing it, to the specialists who work with the Anti-Doping Agency, and, of course, to our club's management for sending us there. This is a major, important, and necessary thing. I really hope that events like this will become a regular occurrence.

Konstantin Shubin, the head of medical services at Lokomotiv Kuban PBC