CClose on the heels of six national men's hockey players testing COVID-19 positive at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru, shuttler N. Sikki Reddy and physiotherapist Kiran C., who arrived at the national badminton camp at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad, too, tested positive. This came to light after they took SAI's mandatory COVID-19 test for all players, coaches and support staff on arrival.
Both Sikki and Kiran are asymptomatic. Both are from Hyderabad and have been attending the camps from their homes. Meanwhile, the academy has been closed down for sanitisation. All primary contacts of Sikki and Kiran have been traced and are being given the RT-PCR test again.
Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said, "SAI's mandatory COVID-19 test was given to all athletes, coaches, support staff and administrative staff at the badminton national camp, and two campers have tested positive. All necessary precautions as per protocol are being taken so that players can come back for training safely and as soon as possible."
Indian hockey team skipper Manpreet, striker Mandeep Singh, defenders Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh, drag-flicker Varun Kumar and goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak have been hospitalised after testing positive for the virus.
The six players—mostly from Punjab—were part of a 10-member group that travelled together from New Delhi.
However, both the men's and women's teams will resume training at the SAI South Centre in Bengaluru from August 19.
All the national camps are being conducted by the SAI after all the national sports federations stand derecognised as per the Delhi High Court order.
