Indian Olympic Association to provide medical insurance to present and former sportspersons

The committee, with help of National Sports Federations (NSFs), will identify athletes who will be included in the scheme.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The decision to launch the scheme was taken at the IOA’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will provide medical insurance to current and former players who have brought laurels to the country.

The IOA, during its executive committee meeting held at the Olympic Bhawan on Tuesday, also decided to provide medical insurance cover to potential medal-winning sportspersons.

“It was deliberated that many former players who have won medals for the country at various games are not very well off, living in constraints and not able to ensure basic healthcare,” IOA said in a statement on Wednesday.

“IOA executive council decided that IOA will be providing medical insurance at no cost to the players who have won laurels for the country. It was also decided that not only the former players but current players performing and having potential to win medals for the country will also be able to avail this benefit,” the statement added.

The IOA will work with national sports federations (NSFs) to identify sportspersons who can be provided medical cover.

The executive committee meeting also decided to recruit professionals for its different departments to have a specialised working system in place to handle all kinds of requirements of the National Olympic committee (NOC).