BHUBANESWAR: Before the commencement of the Olympic Games at Tokyo next year, an Odia has brought cheers for the State. Dr Bibhu Kalyan Nayak has been appointed as medical
officer by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for Tokyo Olympics 2020.
A native of Bhubaneswar, Dr Nayak is the first Indian doctor to be named as medical officer of FIH for hockey discipline for the summer Olympics Games to be held from July 25 to August 7, 2020.
Earlier, he had served as medical officer for the prestigious Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup Bhubaneswar last year.
An expert in Sports Traumatology and Sports and Exercise Physiology, he is now on deputation with Sports Injury Centre, Safdarjung Hospital as a specialist (Sports Medicine). He is mandated to look after the sports and training related injuries and performance enhancement of elite athletes of the country.
Dr Nayak has been extensively trained in Sports Traumatology and Exercise Physiology from National Institute of Sports Medicine at Havana, Cuba and National Sports Centre at Madrid, Spain. He had joined the Army Medical Corps of Indian Army in 1995 and worked in the Army Sports Institute, Pune for six years and later worked with elite athletes of the country.
"I am extremely honoured that FIH recognised my work at the Hockey World Cup last year and selected as a medical officer for the prestigious Olympic Games. It is a huge responsibility and I am confident of doing justice. I look forward to work with elite athletes from around the globe," he said.
Dr Nayak's first international stint as the team doctor started in 2007 when he took up the role with Indian Youth Boxing Team for a span of two years. He has been working with the Indian National Hockey Team since 2009 having accompanied the team to events like Sultan Azlan Shah Shah Cup in 2009 and 2010, Commonwealth Games 2010, Asian Games 2010, Men's Hockey World Cup New Delhi 2010 and Asian Champions Trophy, Doha Qatar in 2012.
He was the team doctor for the London Olympic Games 2012 when India had won maximum of six medals. He was also the chief team physician of the Indian contingent for Rio 2016 Paralympic Games where India won a maximum of four medals.
President of Hockey India Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad congratulated Dr Nayak. "We are immensely proud that a medical expert from India will be at the Olympic Games. His contribution in the field of sports injury prevention and rehabilitation is unparalleled. I wish him the very best on behalf of Hockey India," he said.