**Executive Summary**
On July 10, 2026, the Sports Injury Centre (SIC) at Safdarjung Hospital and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an integrated healthcare ecosystem for Indian athletes. The partnership focuses on developing evidence-based treatment protocols, injury prevention strategies, and indigenous research tailored to the physiology of Indian athletes. This long-term collaboration aims to strengthen sports medicine through capacity building, specialized training, and expanded institutional networks.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Strategic Partnership and Healthcare Model**
* Establishes a coordinated model of healthcare combining the clinical expertise of the SIC with the extensive athlete support network of the SAI.
* Focuses on the comprehensive delivery of sports medicine, including diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and sports science support.
* Aims to help athletes achieve and sustain peak performance through high-quality injury prevention and management.
**Research and Innovation**
* Prioritizes the development of indigenous research and India-specific scientific evidence to better serve the needs of local athletes.
* Seeks to move away from Western-centric protocols by creating benchmarks based on Indian body composition and physiology.
* Envisages joint research initiatives to develop innovative treatment protocols and advance injury prevention strategies.
**Education and Capacity Building**
* Aims to strengthen postgraduate education in sports medicine to create a larger pool of trained specialists.
* Focuses on capacity building and training for medical staff and support personnel associated with the SAI.
* Identifies priority research areas in evolving domains where specialized services are currently limited.
**Infrastructure and Institutional Expansion**
* Proposes the expansion of the sports medicine facility network across the country.
* Encourages newer AIIMS institutions to develop dedicated sports medicine facilities and prioritize athlete care.
* Suggests linking SAI Centres of Excellence with nearby medical colleges to facilitate specialized medical support and training.
* Includes collaboration with specialized institutions such as NIMHANS for specific medical requirements beyond orthopedics.
**Impact Analysis**
**Indian Athletes and Support Staff**
**Impact**
They will gain access to a world-class, integrated healthcare ecosystem with treatment and rehabilitation protocols specifically designed for Indian physiology.
**Action Required**
Utilize the expanded network of specialized facilities and follow the newly developed indigenous injury prevention and treatment strategies.
**Sports Authority of India (SAI)**
**Impact**
The organization will strengthen its institutional capacity to nurture talent by providing superior medical support and scientific benchmarks.
**Action Required**
Work with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to link Centres of Excellence with medical colleges and implement the coordinated healthcare model.
**Sports Injury Centre (SIC) and Medical Institutions**
**Impact**
SIC and other medical colleges/AIIMS will see a significant increase in research responsibilities and the need for specialized sports medicine departments.
**Action Required**
Collaborate on joint research initiatives, develop India-specific protocols, and expand postgraduate training programs to meet the demand for specialists.
**Ministry of Health and Family Welfare / Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports**
**Impact**
The ministries will enter a long-term partnership that aligns health and sports sectors to contribute to India's journey toward sporting excellence.
**Action Required**
Examine ways to expand the network of facilities, provide administrative support for institutional links, and identify priority research areas.
Key Entities Referenced
Sports Injury Centre (SIC), Safdarjung Hospital: India's premier tertiary care centre providing the clinical expertise in sports medicine, rehabilitation, and injury management for the strategic partnership.
Sports Authority of India (SAI): The nodal body for athlete development providing the network to establish a comprehensive and coordinated model of healthcare and sports science support.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare: The primary ministry responsible for expanding sports medicine facilities, strengthening postgraduate education, and providing specialized medical care for athletes.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports: The ministry focused on developing indigenous research protocols, India-specific scientific benchmarks, and linking sports centers with medical institutions.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Sports Injury Centre, Safdarjung Hospital and
Sports Authority of India Sign MoU to Strengthen
Sports Medicine and Athlete Care
MoU to Establish Strategic Partnership Between SAI and SIC
for an Integrated World-Class Healthcare Ecosystem for
Indian Athletes and Support Staff
Collaboration to Develop Evidence-Based Treatment
Protocols and Injury Prevention Strategies for Athletes
Partnership to Foster Research, Innovation, Training and
Capacity Building in Sports Medicine
This MoU Marks the Beginning of a Long-Term Health–Sports
Partnership for India's Athletes: Union Health Secretary
Sports Medicine Research Must Reflect the Physiology and
Needs of Indian Athletes: Secretary, Department of Sports
प्रव तथ: 10 JUL 2026 6:43PM by PIB Delhi
The Sports Injury Centre (SIC), Safdarjung Hospital, under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and
the Sports Authority of India (SAI), under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) here today, in the presence of Union Health Secretary, Smt. Punya Salila
Srivastava and the Secretary, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Hari Ranjan
Rao.The MoU marks a significant milestone in strengthening institutional collaboration for delivering
comprehensive sports medicine and healthcare services to athletes and support staff associated with the
Sports Authority of India. The Sports Injury Centre, Safdarjung Hospital, is India's premier tertiary care
centre dedicated exclusively to sports medicine, arthroscopy, sports injury management, rehabilitation, and
sports sciences. The Sports Authority of India plays a pivotal role in nurturing sporting talent and
developing world-class athletes across the country.
This collaboration brings together the clinical expertise of SIC and the extensive athlete support network
of SAI to establish a comprehensive and coordinated model of athlete healthcare. The partnership aims to
enhance the quality of sports injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and sports science
support, thereby enabling athletes to achieve and sustain peak performance. Beyond clinical care, the
MoU also envisages collaboration in the fields of sports science, medical education, capacity building,
training, and research. Both institutions will jointly undertake research initiatives aimed at developing
innovative treatment protocols, advancing injury prevention strategies, promoting evidence-based sports
medicine practices, and fostering scientific innovation to improve athlete health and performance.Speaking on the occasion, Union Health Secretary, Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, underlined the
collaboration as a significant step in contributing to India's journey towards sporting excellence. She
extended all possible support from the Ministry from the healthcare perspective and described the MoU as
the beginning of a long-term partnership between the health and sports sectors.
Observing that athletes are spread across the country, Smt. Srivastava assured that the Ministry would
examine ways to expand the network of sports medicine facilities and strengthen postgraduate education
in sports medicine to build a larger pool of trained specialists. She also emphasised that along with athlete
healthcare in orthopaedic injuries, the Ministry would explore support for other specialised health
requirements by identifying relevant medical disciplines and engaging institutions such as NIMHANS
wherever required for collaborative work and specialised care.
Smt. Srivastava further extended support to encourage the newer AIIMS institutions to develop sports
medicine facilities and prioritise athlete healthcare services. She underlined the need to identify priority
areas for research that can improve athlete performance, particularly in domains where sports medicine is
still evolving and specialised services remain limited. Appreciating the work already undertaken by the
Sports Injury Centre and the Sports Authority of India, she assured that the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare would extend its full support to strengthen research, institutional collaboration and specialised
healthcare services for Indian athletes.In his address, Secretary, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Hari Ranjan Rao
highlighted the need to strengthen indigenous research in sports medicine and sports science to better
serve the needs of Indian athletes. He observed that many of the existing sports medicine protocols,
assessment tools and scientific benchmarks are based on American and Western data, which may not
always be suitable for Indian athletes due to differences in body composition and physiology. He stressed
the importance of generating India-specific scientific evidence and developing indigenous protocols to
support athlete performance, injury prevention and rehabilitation.
Emphasising the need for greater institutional collaboration, Shri Rao sought the support of the Ministry
of Health and Family Welfare in engaging medical colleges across the country in sports medicine. He
suggested linking SAI's Centres of Excellence with nearby medical colleges to facilitate specialised
medical support, research and training, while also providing opportunities for orthopaedic and other
medical specialists to work closely with athletes. He described the MoU as “a significant step towards
strengthening research, capacity building and evidence-based sports medicine for the long-term benefit of
Indian athletes.”Dr. Loveneesh G. Krishna, Director General of Health Services, MoHFW; Shri Ram Singh, Secretary,
SAI; Dr. Manashvi Kumar, Joint Secretary (Hospitals), MoHFW; Shri Vineel Krishna Ravella, Joint
Secretary (Sports), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; Dr. Kavita Rani Sharma, Director, Safdarjung
Hospital; Dr. Deepak Joshi, Director, Sports Injury Centre (SIC); Brigadier (Dr.) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak,
Executive Director, SAI; and senior officers of the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Youth
Affairs and Sports were also present on the occasion.
***
SR
HFW/MoU Signing b/w SIC Safdarjung Hospital and SAI for Strengthening Sports Medicine & Athlete
Care/10July2026/3
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