After the Indian contingent’s success at the Tokyo Olympics, the government has now started the process of setting up a Rs 250-crore premier centre that will work towards using sports science to enhance the performance of Indian athletes and prolong their career.

A consultant is being appointed at the cost of Rs 2.5 crore to undertake a detailed study at half-a-dozen institutes of global and national repute to set up a National Centre for Sports Science and Research (NCSSR) in India at par with the international standards.

Bids were floated for the same by the government on October 13. “Many countries now possess a nationwide framework of state-of-the-art sports science support services to coaches designed to help foster the talents of elite athletes and improve their performance,” says an official document accessed by News18.

India put up its best performance at the Olympics so far at Tokyo this year, winning a total of seven medals, including a gold medal for javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, silver medals for weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya, and bronze medals for wrestler Bajranj Punia, badminton player PV Sindhu, boxer Lovolina Borgohain and the men’s hockey team.

India achieved its best performance at the Paralympics too in Tokyo, winning 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver and six bronze. The idea now is to achieve greater heights at the next Olympics, scheduled to be held in Paris in 2024.

NCSSR MANDATE: CERTIFY FOOD SUPPLEMENTS, LESSEN INJURIES

NCSSR is envisioned as the lead institution in the country which will support high-performance athletes to achieve excellence by providing quality-assured services through performance evaluation techniques and development of leading experts through research.

“Athletes must constantly strive to attain peak levels of performance to reach and subsequently stay at the top. If athletes are to attain world-class levels of performance, information from the continuous assessment of training and competition must be made available to aid in the evaluation of how players are performing and progressing,” the document says.

One of the key aims of NCSSR will be to certify food supplements that would help athletes avoid those supplements that are banned or are at high risk of being contaminated with substances that could lead to a positive drug test.

Applying sports science to help maximise performance and endurance in preparation for events and competitions while lessening the risk of injury is a key aim too.

“The scientists at NCSSR would help identify strengths and weaknesses so that training programs can be individualised for athletes towards enhanced performance,” the document says.

The NCSSR will conduct research in sports talent identification as well. It will aim for performance enhancement of athletes through the use of sports science, run a cutting-edge research program in sports science, do accreditation of testing services and training courses, conduct testing and certification of food supplements, study role of Ayurvedic or homeopathic medicines in sporting performance and do management and rehabilitation of sports injuries.

“NCSSR would establish strong networking with researchers in India and abroad for research and exchange of information in the field of sports science,” the document says.

Management and rehabilitation of injury related to sports through comprehensive, rehabilitative and diagnostic services will be another key function of NCSSR which will have sports physicians and physiotherapists with great experience in elite sports from wide variety of areas.

“They would work in multi-disciplinary means which will include strength and conditioning and coaches,” the document says.

The government has fixed a 16-month deadline for the entire exercise of the NCSSR to be completed.

(Edited by : Anshul)

First Published: Oct 15, 2021, 12:37 PMIST