Indian sports medicine expert heads FIH health panel

NEW DELHI:  Hockey India on Saturday congratulated Col (Dr) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak, an expert in sports traumatology and sports and exercise physiology, for being named as the chair of FIH Health and Safety Committee by the FIH executive board recently.

A native of Bhubaneswar, Col (Dr) Nayak, who has extensively trained in sports traumatology & sports & exercise physiology from National Institute of Sports Medicine at Havana, Cuba & National Sports Centre at Madrid, Spain, is the first Indian to be named by FIH executive board for this prestigious post and he will serve a two-year term lasting till the first executive board meeting after the Congress 2020.

Recently, he also served as the medical officer for the 2018 Men's World Cup. He was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps of Indian Army in 1995 and has worked in the Army Sports Institute, Pune for six years and has worked with elite athletes of the country.

“I am extremely honoured that FIH has considered me for this prestigious role. As an Indian, it is a proud feeling for me. I understand it is a huge responsibility and I will be working with experts in the medical field from other countries too and I believe it will be an enriching experience. I am confident of doing justice to the role – backed with my experience of working with elite athletes over the last two decades as well as closely working with elite hockey players during the Men's World Cup.”

His first international stint as the team doctor was in 2007 when he took up the role with Indian youth boxing team for a span of two years. He began working with the Indian national hockey team since 2009, having accompanied the team to events such as Sultan Azlan Shah Shah Cup in 2009 and 2010, XIX Commonwealth Games 2010, XVI Asian Games 2010, Men’s Hockey World Cup New Delhi 2010 and Asian Champions Trophy, Doha Qatar in 2012. He has been the team doctor at 2012 London Olympic Games where our country has won maximum number of medals i.e. six (6) in any Olympic Games till date. He was also the chief team physician of the Indian contingent at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games where India won four medals, its highest tally in any Paralympic Games till date.

Currently Col (Dr) Nayak is on deputation with Sports Injury Centre, Safdarjung Hospital as specialist on deputation (sports medicine) with a mandate to look after the sports and training related injuries and performance enhancement in respect of elite athletes of the country.