Hockey players resume training in Himachal Pradesh

Hockey players in Himachal Pradesh have resumed limited training keeping in mind the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry and Hockey India.

Around 60 players have resumed sports activities in the hill state. The players, who have begun sports activities, are aged between 18 and 21.

The Himachal Pradesh state member unit is currently planning to organise a state championship in the upcoming months.

The state member units got a general idea about the key aspects to keep in mind while resuming sports activities during an interactive session with chief coaches of the national teams and experienced national players such as PR Sreejesh and Savita in September.

The chief coaches and players spoke about their first-hand experience of how the national camp coaches and players are following the set protocol at the Sports Authority of India campus in Bengaluru since restarting sports activities on August 19.

"Receiving a detailed SOP and guidelines from Hockey India was the key factor in restarting sports activities in Himachal Pradesh. Our players and officials are absolutely thrilled to be back on the pitch," said Romesh Pathania, Hockey Himachal general secretary.

"We are ensuring that everyone is following the protocol properly and not exerting too much on the field as well. It's very important for the players to start slowly and steadily increase the intensity of their sports activities sessions every day.