150 traditional masseurs roped in for Games

India may not have enough masseurs and physiotherapists with specialised sports oriented training, but filling the gap at the Commonwealth Games will be ayurvedic masseurs and therapists from Kerala and West Bengal.

Thousands of athletes and players are expected to take part in the October 3-14 event - the 19th edition of these Games during which sports masseurs and therapists will be needed.

In India, however, sports masseurs are very rare to come by and in fact the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has around 10 of them working under it at any given time. So to meet the deficit, organisers have looked outside the state and have chosen those involved in ayurveda - an Indian system of medicine - which experts say could be an added advantage.

"Around 150 ayurvedic masseurs from the Indian system of medicine have been identified to be trained in sports massages. The Delhi government shortlisted the names from Kerala's Directorate of Health Services and we have recently given the names to the Games Organising Committee," JP Singh, the Delhi government's health secretary, said.

In addition, the Delhi government has identified 100 more people from Kerala and West Bengal for physiotherapy requirements also.

However, these ayurvedic masseurs will undergo rigorous training conducted by foreign experts before the sporting event.

"Since a sports massage is a very different concept from the Indian system of medicine-based massage, the selected candidates will undergo training from foreign experts. After the Games they can be inducted for the domestic demand also," Lalit Bhanot, the organising committee's spokesman, said.

The foreign experts will teach the candidates massages like 'Petrisage' (massage based on pressure application for relaxing), 'Efflurage' (for warming up muscles before a sporting event) and many more, he said.

"Typically, this type of specialised training is made available in countries like the United Kingdom and Australia. The training will be an 11-day module. This is likely to held in Kerala and the experts from abroad will be flown down there. After that, the masseurs will be tested through a written exam ahead of the Games," the official added.

Explaining the importance of masseurs in any sports event, Alakananda Banerjee, head of the physiotherapy department at Max Hospital in Saket, told IANS: "They are a very important aspect of the training for sportspersons and are required in all sports like hockey, football and others. Masseurs are required before, during and after any sporting event.

"When sportspersons play, their muscles get tightened which can lower their performance. The sports massage helps in blood circulation, ultimately helping the sportspersons."

According to sports medicine expert PSM. Chandran, the concept of sports massages is still unknown in India.

"Sports massage is an unknown entity in this country. As of now under the Sports Authority of India (SAI), we have just 10 of them and they too have knowledge of the ayurveda system. Even without the Games, there was a demand for them but no supply," Chandran, who is also director of sports medicine at the SAI.

"If you know some massaging technique, it is better since you can be easily trained. Ayurvedic massages are used for certain diseases and have different training. The masseurs already know how the hands are used and have knowledge of the human anatomy," he added.

Delhi facing shortage of masseurs

Facing a major shortage of professional masseurs to cater to sportspersons during the Commonwealth Games scheduled here this October, authorities are now looking for foreign experts and also trying to bring in masseurs from other states.

Approximately 400-500 masseurs are required during Delhi Commonwealth Games.

The 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG), the 19th edition of these games, will be held from Oct 3 to 14. Thousands of athletes are expected to take part in the event.

"We need properly trained and well qualified masseurs to provide support to sportspersons taking part in the Games. But there is a serious shortage of them," said an official of the Delhi government's health department.

"We are in the process of identifying and shortlisting masseurs. Once that is done, further training would be imparted to them by experts," the official added.

"It is a little difficult to find well-trained masseurs as a lot of them are employed with private massage parlours. A number of them may be busy serving tourists during that period and this has led to increase in their demand," he added.

Commonwealth Games Organising Committee spokesperson Lalit Bhanot also said: "Yes, there is a shortage of masseurs. We are trying to arrange masseurs from treatment centres in West Bengal and Kerala."

"We are also trying to bring in foreign experts. They will be in the city during the games and would train the selected masseurs here"

"The health department is considering training the masseurs in foot massage, Ayurvedic massage, Panchakarma, oil massage and other types of massages. The health department along with the Games organising committee is likely to jointly bear the expenditure of their training."

Hospitality industry is also a shortage of trained personal to cater to the tourists.

The health department official refused to say by when the masseurs would be trained or ready or how they would be recruited.

Besides the professionally trained masseurs, the city and the nearby areas have a number of traditional masseurs, who are generally untrained, but quite popular among tourists. But experts have warned against employing any untrained masseurs.

No traditional masseur can be taken just like this. Masseurs need to be very technically sound and they need to understand human anatomy well. They need to be professionally trained as wrong massage can even lead to injuries to sportsperson.