Dr. Leroy R. Perry Jr., a Los Angeles based chiropractic orthopedist and sports medicine specialist, has been named as an official doctor of the Soviet Olympic Team for the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
In a letter to President George Bush, dated July 26, 1991, chairman of the USSR Committee for Physical Culture and Sports, Nikoly Rusak, and Anatoliy Kovrizhnykh, chairman of the USSR Sports Medicine Federation, announced Dr. Perry's appointment.
In part, the letter said: "This is yet another evidence of the positive results of your fruitful efforts to strengthen the ties between the two countries. We hope for the increasing future cooperation and collaboration in the field of sports."
Upon learning of his appointment, Dr. Perry said: "Working with these world-class athletes affords me the opportunity to put into practice the results of years of research into this form of treatment. However, I'm here to learn as much as to teach."
Dr. Perry's relationship with Soviet sports officials dates back to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada when he treated an East German pentathlete suffering from a back injury. He has worked with both professional and Olympic athletes from over 40 countries.
While on a recent lecture tour in the USSR, Dr. Perry presented his latest research on non-surgical, non-drug, cost-effective techniques of treatments for back care. He expressed that the Soviets have had a long-standing interest in this area.
While in Leningrad, Dr. Perry received a special commemorative medal, the Award of Merit, from Sergei Shilnev, the president of the Leningrad Athletic Federation in recognition for his contributions to the field of sports medicine. Dr. Perry's name was also inscribed on the Honors List of the Leningrad Committee of Physical Culture and Sport. The list includes names of all of Leningrad's Olympic gold medalists.
While in Leningrad, Dr. Perry served as team doctor for the "White Nights Marathon," so called because it is held during the summer solstice when it remains light until after 11:00 p.m. More than 700 runners, including 45 Americans, competed in the marathon and 10K races.
