NEW DELHI: As India’s athletes chase medals at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, an equally important contest is unfolding away from the spotlight. Behind every performance is the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) medical team, working round the clock to ensure athletes stay fit, recover quickly and remain competition-ready through the demanding schedule.Headed by noted orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, the IOA medical unit has been at work since the contingent arrived in Scotland. Assisted by physiotherapists Sumansh Sivalanka, Chris Pedra and Debashish Das, the team is overseeing injury management, physiotherapy, recovery protocols and rehabilitation across disciplines.“It is a wonderful journey as my team comprising Sumansh Sivalanka, Chris Pedra and Debashish Das are working with the athletes even before the Games began.
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For me, personally, it is reassuring when team managers come and tell me our presence is reassuring and adds value,” Dr Pardiwala said.The task has been made more challenging by the absence of a central Athletes’ Village at Glasgow 2026. With the Indian contingent spread across three hotels, the IOA has set up its main treatment centre at the Mercure Hotel while deploying medical personnel at all team bases to ensure athletes have access to immediate care whenever required.The medical unit also serves smaller contingents such as swimming and gymnastics, which do not travel with dedicated doctors or physiotherapists. Larger squads, including athletics, have their own medical staff, but continue to coordinate with the IOA’s central support system.For athletes competing across multiple days, recovery has become as crucial as training. Physiotherapy sessions, mobility work and rehabilitation programmes are designed to minimise injury risks while helping competitors maintain peak performance.“The greatest satisfaction is to see the smile on the faces of athletes after they have had a hard day at work,” Dr Pardiwala said.While medals will dominate the headlines over the coming days, every podium finish will also owe something to the doctors, physiotherapists and support staff whose work begins before the athletes step onto the field of play and often continues long after competition ends.For the IOA, the objective extends beyond medals — ensuring every Indian athlete enters competition with the confidence that a dedicated support team is standing firmly behind them.
