All Olympics-Bound Indian Athletes, Including Neeraj Chopra, Are Fit: IOA Chief Medical Officer

Renowned sports medicine expert Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala on Sunday said that all the Indian athletes participating in the Paris Olympics, including ace javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, were "fit enough" to perform on the big stage when the quadrennial showpiece gets underway on July 26. Pardiwala, the chief medical officer (CMO) of the nearly 120-strong Indian contingent for the Paris Games, added that his 13-member team will render the best possible medical assistance to the contingent in the areas of injury management, sports nutrition, mental conditioning, sports massage, recovery and sleep.

"All the athletes that are going for the Olympics are fit right now. Some athletes will have minor niggles here and there. I am not going to be discussing any specific injuries to any athlete that they've had in the past, but all of them who are there are there because they are going to be capable and they're gonna be fit enough to perform," he said.

Pardiwala has treated some of the top athletes, including India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who suffered serious injuries during a car crash, and Tokyo Games silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.

The Indian Olympic Association, Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India have brought together a team of top medical experts, headed by Pardiwala, to give the best rest and recovery facilities to the athletes as they bid to better the seven-medal haul at the Tokyo Olympics.

"This is the first time the Indian athletes will have a recovery room and a preparational rehabilitation room to make them game ready," said Pardiwala.

In the past, athletes had to visit a common polyclinic for approximately 10,000 competitors to avail physiotherapy and recovery services, and getting slots