Indian boxing team’s doctor tests positive for Covid-19

A health care provider hooked up with the Indian boxing workforce on Monday examined positive for Covid-19 at the same time as all of the pugilists who’ve assembled for coaching in Patiala got here out damaging however stared at a attainable suspension of the proposed camp as a result of improvement.

The 11 boxers, together with Asian Games champion and world silver-medallist Amit Panghal, will likely be retested as they had been on the identical quarantine facility with the physician.

“Dr Amol (Patil) was in quarantine in a centre outside the main campus of national Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala. As per protocol, before he is allowed to enter main hostel and sports arena, he was given the Covid test on the 7th day (of quarantine) and tested positive,” the Sports Authority of India stated in a press release to PTI when requested in regards to the improvement.

“He has been shifted to the state-run COVID centre. Those who are identified as primary contact will be tested tomorrow. The quarantine period for all persons staying in the same quarantine facility has been extended by one week. The centre has been sterilised as per protocol.”

The boxers have, nevertheless, examined damaging however will bear a second spherical of testing on Tuesday. “Dr Patil is completely asymptomatic, not even mild symptoms are there. He will recover soon enough,” stated a supply near the workforce.

Patil has been an everyday in Indian boxing and travelled with the workforce to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the world championships final 12 months. The pugilists had been on account of begin coaching later this month or early in August after the Boxing Federation of India received the SAI nod to conduct the nationwide camp amid the pandemic.

The conduct of the camp is at present being overseen by SAI after the Delhi High Court stayed the sports activities ministry’s recognition to 57 nationwide federations together with the BFI.

Nine Indian boxers have certified for the Olympics, postponed to 2021 as a result of pandemic. They are — Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg), MC Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), and Pooja Rani (75kg).

Of these, Mary Kom continues to coach at her residence in Delhi as attending the camp was elective. As per the SAI’s security protocols for coaching, boxers have been barred from doing human sparring, instructed to not entry the ring and use their private tools for all types of coaching.

They had been to be provided cowl for COVID-19 of their medical insurance coverage, as per the SOP made by the BFI. The boxers and the federation additionally need to signal consent types acknowledging the chance of resumption earlier than being allowed again on the SAI centre.