FLORIDA, United States — The Jamaica national senior football team yesterday completed its mandatory FIFA Pre-Competition Medical Assessment (PCMA) at the team’s DoubleTree by Hilton Sunrise hotel, ahead of the start of the Copa America Centenario, which kicks off on Friday.

A medical assessment is an important method to screen athletes for health risks prior to their participation in sport. The medical history, physical characteristics and pathological findings might substantially influence the risk of future injuries, as well as other health risks associated with active sport participation, including sudden cardiac death.

The FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre developed a standardised pre-competition medical assessment for elite football players and tested its feasibility on all players who participated in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.

Compliance levels have been high among teams and since then, this PCMA has been mandated for FIFA- related competitions.

Reggae Boyz team physician Dr Derrick McDowell and the Jamaica Football Federation Medical Committee chairman Dr Guyan Arscott organised to have nurse Kareen Lewin-Miller and emergency medical technician Nickesha Hassan travel to Florida on Monday to start the two-day process of examining all 23 players registered for the Copa America Centenario tournament.

Wes Morgan is scheduled to join the team when it arrives in Chicago tomorrow. It is expected that he will have his done then.

“A muscular, pre-competition medical assessment of all players, all organ systems, musculoskeletal, chest — meaning respiratory and cardiovascular — abdomen, neurological assessment. we also have to do ECGs, it’s mandatory, electrocardiogram on the patients, and of course, their vital signs,” explained Dr McDowell yesterday.

Dr McDowell also explained that the Jamaicans were exempted from blood tests, as they had submitted blood tests at last year’s Copa America in Chile.

“We were able to clinically assess everybody, do the necessary screenings and so far, everything is looking good,” beamed Dr McDowell, ahead of the last examination.

The process also required each player completing a declaration form to include present medications, medications used in the past six weeks, dietary supplements, vitamins used, as well as the need for therapeutic use exemption.

After completing the PCMA, Dr McDowell must make a recommendation to the Copa America Centenario medical committee regarding each player’s ability to participate in the tournament, which is never an easy decision.

In contrast to musculoskeletal problems, where risk can often be mitigated, the risks associated with cardiovascular abnormalities are more significant and are not capable of being reduced in a similar way.

If an underlying cardiovascular abnormality is identified, the player is usually withdrawn because the intensity cannot be easily controlled.

Meanwhile, Reggae Boyz captain Rodolph Austin joined his teammates Monday night, leaving just Morgan to complete the 23-man squad.

The players used the hotel’s swimming pool for their regenerative session following Monday’s training match against Boca Raton FC at the Lockhart Stadium, where the Boyz won 2-0 on goals by Joel McAnuff and Dever Orgill.

And Kemar Lawrence, who travelled to Chile for last Friday’s friendly international win, was granted permission to break camp and travel back to Jamaica for personal reasons. He was expected to rejoin the team last evening.

The Boyz depart South Florida tomorrow for Chicago, ahead of the start of their Group C campaign against Venezuela at Soldier Field on Sunday.

They then journey cross country to Pasadena, California, next Monday ahead of their second game against Mexico inside the Rose Bowl on June 9.

Four days later, they complete their group fixture at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara against Uruguay.