Hockey India on Thursday congratulated Col (Dr.) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak, an expert in Sports Traumatology and Sports and Exercise Physiology, for being re-appointed as the Chair of FIH health and safety committee by the FIH executive board recently. Col (Dr.) Nayak's new term will last till the first Executive Board Meeting after Congress 2022.
A native of Bhubaneswar, Col (Dr.) Nayak who has extensively trained in Sports Traumatology and Sports and Exercise Physiology from the National Institute of Sports Medicine at Havana, Cuba, and National Sports Centre at Madrid, Spain, was the first Indian to be named by FIH Executive Board for this prestigious post in April 2019.
Col (Dr.) Nayak, who was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps of Indian Army in 1995, has worked with elite athletes of the country and also served as the Medical Officer for the 2018 Men's World Cup.
"It is a great honour for me to be re-appointed as the Chair of FIH Health and Safety Committee. I have had a fantastic experience working with experts in the medical field from all around the world during my tenure as the Chair of FIH Health and Safety Committee in the last two years and I am looking forward to further developing my expertise and experience in my next tenure as the Chair of FIH Health and Safety Committee," said Col (Dr.) Nayak in a Hockey India release.
Nayak's 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 in 2009, having accompanied the team to events such as Sultan Azlan 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.
Nayak had been the team doctor at the 2012 London Olympic Games where India won six medals. He was also the chief team physician of the Indian contingent Rio 2016 Paralympic Games where India won a maximum of four medals in any Paralympic Games to date.
Col (Dr.) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak was also the FIH medical officer for the Tokyo Olympic Games. He became the first Indian doctor to be appointed as FIH medical officer for the Olympic Games.
Hockey India also congratulated CEO Elena Norman for being appointed as a member of FIH Rules Committee by the FIH Executive Board recently.
Norman has made a tremendous contribution as the Chief Executive Officer of Hockey India through which she has had an outstanding impact on the development and promotion of hockey within the country and beyond.
Congratulating Norman and Col (Dr.) BK Nayak, President Gyanendro Ningombam said, "It's a moment of great pride for us to see Col (Dr.) BK Nayak being re-appointed as the Chair of Health and Safety Committee by the FIH Executive Board and CEO Ms Elena Norman be appointed as a Member of the FIH Rules Committee.
"Ms Norman has taken Indian hockey to great heights during her term as CEO of Hockey India and we are certain that her experience will help global hockey take bigger strides as well.
"Meanwhile, Col (Dr.) BK Nayak has achieved tremendous feats in the area of sports injury prevention and rehabilitation and has had a fruitful tenure as the Chair of FIH Health and Safety Committee by the FIH Executive Board since April 2019.
"I congratulate Ms Norman and Col (Dr.) BK Nayak for being appointed to their respective FIH Committees and wish them the very best on behalf of Hockey India," Ningombam concluded.
( With inputs from ANI )
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