Humans of Olympics: Ex-Army doctor ensuring a robust sports science infrastructure for Indian athletes
Brig (Dr) Bibhu Nayak, 54, member of the IOA medical team in Paris 2024.
Had India not won just one medal at the Sydney Olympics, the Indian Army might not have set up the Mission Olympics Win and Brig (Dr) Bibhu Nayak would have never been in Paris today. But the programme that ensured Olympic medallist Rajyavardhan Rathore got to train outside of India under the best coaches also pulled Brig (Dr) Nayak sports full-time.
“Sports ka keeda hai,” he said, happily recalling how he first started out helping athletes as part of a team of Army doctors. He was subsequently sent to Cuba twice for training and was then posted at the Army Sports Institute and also developed a spots science programme. His journey took him to Indian boxing and in 2009 was asked to join the Indian hockey team, where he stayed till 2014.
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Now, the director of National Centre for Sports Sciences and Research at the Sports Authority of India, Brig (Dr) Nayak is part of the 13-member Indian Olympic Association medical team accompanying the Indian contingent at Paris 2024. The former FIH chairman for health and safety runs the recovery room set up inside the Olympic Village exclusively for Indian athletes.
Dr. Nayak was involved in the budgeting and finalising of recovery and rehab equipment such as ice baths, sleep pods and Game Ready cryo-compression and contrast therapy units for the recovery room.
“The Indian embassy in Paris was actively helped us with the recovery room. Air commodore Prashant Arya, air attaché, Indian embassy in Paris, contacted local dealers and vendors to source equipment such as sleep pods and ice baths. We have purchased the three sleep pods and after the Games, two sleep pods will go to SAI Bengaluru campus and one will go to SAI Patiala,” said Nayak, who is attending his fourth Olympics.