
PARIS: There it was, next to the Serbian and Spanish quarters a few metres away from the great USA building. The Indian flag was flying. Outside, chef de mission Gagan Narang was speaking with Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha and deputy chef de mission Shiva Keshavan.
The medical centre is the IOA's newest baby. There are four beds in one room. “These are for recovery,” says Dinshaw Pardiwala, the contingent's chief medical officer. In the next room, there are two tubs, one each for hot (warm) and cold (ice). There are other paraphernalia peppered across the room that’s used in various stages of recovery.
Pardiwala says there has been a positive response to the medical centre that the IOA has set up for the first time. He says some 12 or 13 athletes visit the medical team consisting but not limited to mental wellness experts (Samir Parikh and Divya Jain), physios (Chris Pedra, Sumansh Sivalanka), a sleep therapist (Monica Sharma) and masseurs (Matto and Vijay Kamboj).
“I have not seen anything like this before,” says Sreejesh, a veteran of four Olympics (including this one). And there is no anxiety oversleeping on a cardboard bed. “They seem robust,” he says just outside the India house.
Sreejesh does have a kind of inhibition to sleep inside a sleeping pod. Pardiwala shows the three pods inside the room. “This helps them sleep. It aids in recovery.”
Pardiwala’s rationale behind it is simple. “While speaking to some of the athletes we have realised that they are not worried about high temperature or not sleeping in ACs but some of the athletes were concerned that if the temperature is not controlled or it gets a bit too cool, we might lose our sleep,” he says. “So we arranged the sleeping pods which are controlled.” A pillow and a speaker are also available if the athlete wishes to listen to music.
Divya Jain, the psychologist, explains about the mindfulness centre, a concept being propounded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The room resembles a setting from a sci-fi movie. There are VR headsets for immersive experiences that also act as a catalyst to calm the mind. There are postcards that can be written and sent to near and dear ones. “It helps athletes to focus and mindfulness can be through art or even writing,” she says. “This will help you to be in the moment and writing helps you to remain connected with your near and dear ones.”
Two athletes in India's boxing contingent, Nikhat Zareen and Nishant Dev, had also stepped outside to speak with officials, including Usha.
Star conferences
The Games Village turns into a place where some of the greatest athletes congregate, eat, sleep and have fun. It also turns into their sacred space. This one, in Saint-Denis, is a sprawling residential complex with the Seine flowing through it.
There was a boat full of security personnel manning the river right in front of the commercial hub of the Village. The charm is the cosmopolitan nature of the complex where it doesn’t discriminate between the best and the rest, like the Olympic spirit where everyone is treated the same.
Tennis legend Rafael Nadal may be in the last leg of his career but the amount of selfies he has obliged would be setting new records, just like the athlete during his playing days. The conference hall is hosting some of the greats of different sports — like Rio Games gold medallist Carolina Marin of Spain along with her coach Riva Fernandes on Thursday. She speaks about how she has changed her training methods (more mental than physical).
A few minutes later, Casper Ruud, who does have happy memories at Roland Garros, stepped inside and spoke in Norwegian about his chances. “I want to win the medal and I believe that I can take that. I did not compete in Tokyo because I did not have the belief,” he said. The tennis star wanted to go to the Olympics and Paris has been on his radar. He feels the Grand Slam is bigger but the Olympics is right there and he wants to medal for Norway which will make his achievement great.
The sprawling campus
The Village, open to the media on Thursday, was buzzing. Athletes were running, some were taking a stroll or just lazing by the river on recliners.
Thursday was one such day when this daily visited the sprawling residential complex. The Village is supposed to host over 14,000 athletes and officials where up to 60,000 meals will be served. The beds, believed to be anti-sex, have already made the headlines. As promised by the organising committee, the geothermal pipes are working with temperatures outside warmer than inside the rooms.