Hockey: Manpreet Singh, four others test positive for coronavirus
The Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh and four other players have tested positive for coronavirus. However, the national camp will resume in Bengaluru as scheduled with those who are fit to train, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said. Besides Manpreet, defender Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh, drag-flicker Varun Kumar and goal-keeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak have also tested positive.
In a statement issued by SAI, Manpreet said that he is happy with the authorities for handling the situation well. He also hopes to recover soon. "I am self quarantined at the SAI campus and I am very happy with the way SAI authorities have handled the situation...I am doing fine and hope to recover very soon," the 28-year-old Manpreet said.
The five players tested positive after returning to the national hockey camp at the SAI South Centre in Bengaluru following a month-long break. A SAI source told PTI that the camp will resume from August 20 as planned with the fit players. Meanwhile, the players were in mandatory quarantine before the resumption of training at the centre.
Manpreet also said that he is happy that SAI made testing of athletes mandatory and this helped in identifying the problem."I am very happy that they made testing of athletes mandatory. That proactive step helped in identifying the problem right in time," said Manpreet.
The source said that players who have tested positive for COVID-19 will have to pass a fitness test. "As of now the camp is on and will resume as planned. The fit players can start their individual training and the players who have tested positive for COVID can resume later after recovering but they will have to pass a fitness test," the source said.
