For the Olympics in Paris, IOA assembles a medical and sports science team.
The 13-person group will go to the French capital to provide 24-hour assistance to athletes who are on the road.
New Delhi: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has assembled a 13-person panel of sports science specialists who would go to Paris to provide the traveling Indian athletes with health and wellness assistance. Leading the group as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala; other members include two doctors, three injury management specialists, three sports physiotherapists, two sports masseurs, two mental conditioning specialists, two dietitians, and a sleep therapist.
The crew will be based at the Games Village recovery center, a 600 square foot, first-of-its-kind space that will be furnished with all the tools required for rehabilitation.
“This is the first time the team will have such a well-known group of sports science professionals with them at the Olympics. One more first is the recuperation center. A senior IOA official said, “All high-achieving countries, including the US, UK, and Japan, have such a facility for their athletes.
Dr. Pardiwala is one of the nine accredited experts among the 13 who will be allowed to remain in the Athletes Village; the other experts will remain outside. Those who choose to stay outside will have access to the Village from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a day pass.
Starting on July 19, the sports science team members will arrive in Paris. Teams competing in archery, boxing, and hockey are scheduled to arrive in Paris on July 20 and begin training the following day.
“By the time the athletes started their first session, the sports science experts would have assumed control,” the official stated.
Two six-person inflatable ice tubs, Normatec arms and legs (recovery suits), two cooling units, three recliners, six massagers, compression wraps, and other amenities will be available in the recovery area.
Three sleep pods intended for athletes who are having trouble falling asleep because of pre-event stress will be the main attraction, though. “PT Usha understands that sleep is the most crucial component of recuperation because she was an athlete in the past. Given that several athletes have previously complained of sleep-related problems, sleep pods are a great addition, the official stated.
With the exception of the sleep pods, all equipment has been acquired by IOA and will be dispersed following the Games among the different SAI centers and NIS Patiala. The French business from which the pods are being rented will have them available for use from July 18 to August 12. Over the course of their use, the three pods will cost about 7000 euros, and the total cost of the medical support will come to about ₹1.35 crore.
“On July 18, the sleep pods will be put together, and on July 19, physiotherapists and other specialists will arrive.” The day the hockey, boxing, and archery teams arrive in Paris, July 20, is when the rehabilitation center will open for business, according to the official.
The sports science team visited different SAI centers and training grounds to get to know the athletes who would be competing in the Olympics. at addition to seeing wrestlers at Rohtak and Hisar, the experts also visited NIS Patiala, SAI Bengaluru, SAI Sonepat, and the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi. In addition, Dr. Pardiwala has briefed the athletes about the rehab center and other measures during four online sessions.
Entire list of experts in sports science:
Chief medical officer Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, sports medicine physician Brigadier Dr. Bibhu Nayak, sports medicine physician Dr. Tvisha Parikh, sports physiotherapist Christopher Pedra, sports psychologist Dr. Samir Parikh, sports psychologist Dr. Divya Jain, sports nutritionist Aradhna Sharma, sports physiotherapist Ronak Kothari, sports physiotherapist Sumansh Sivalanka, sports physiotherapist Vijay Kamboj, sports physiotherapist Ms. Matto
