Speaking at an event organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Kolkata, Khan said the focus must be on nurturing athletes from their formative years through professional support systems, including coaching, sports medicine, fitness training, and injury management.
“Sports medicine is going to witness a major change for the better and will not be restricted to Kolkata — it will be decentralised so that players across West Bengal receive equal opportunities and support,” Khan said.
He further added that while the government will lead this transformation, entrepreneurs and stakeholders should also come forward to invest in sports and contribute to the ecosystem’s growth.
The ICC hosted SportsMed 2026 under the theme “From Performance to Prevention: Integrating Science, Medicine & Technology,” bringing together healthcare professionals, sports medicine experts, policymakers, hospital leaders, and sports practitioners to discuss the future of sports healthcare in India.
The summit featured several eminent speakers, including Prashant Sharma, Chairman, ICC National Healthcare Committee and Managing Director of Charnock Hospitals; Dr. Sankar Sengupta, Vice President, CAHO, and Medical Superintendent & Professor at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute; Sibananda Mishra, Regional Director-in-Charge, NSERC Kolkata, Sports Authority of India (SAI); former cricketer and sports performance specialist Ranadeep Moitra; Richa S. Debgupta, Co-Chair, ICC National Healthcare Committee and Executive Vice President, Fortis Hospitals; Dr. Abhijit Sen, Consultant Orthopaedic and Sports Injury Surgeon; and Khawer Naveed Siddiqui, Head of Preventive Cardiology at B.M. Birla Heart Research Centre.