National hockey camp in SAI Bengaluru gets official nod

Men’s and women’s hockey teams bound for Tokyo Olympics will join the national camp at SAI’s National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Bengaluru from Tuesday.

The athletes, coaches and support staff, who were on a home break, will join the camp and undergo the mandatory 14-day quarantine inside the campus. A decision on this was taken by SAI after a formal permission was received from the state government. 

In a statement, SAI said: “The camp will begin in keeping with all protocols and in strict adherence to the SOPs of SAI and that of the state government. Athletes, coaches and support staff will also be tested when they arrive in Bengaluru to ensure that all campers are at a reduced risk of contracting the COVID 19 virus."

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As a proactive measure, SAI Bengaluru administration has held online workshops for athletes, coaches and support staff scheduled to join the camp on precautionary measures to be followed in the campus.

On July 30, a SAI coach posted in Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range had tested positive for the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As per SAI, the result of the test was intimated to the authorities by the coach the same day.

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According to SAI, the coach had visited the centre’s administrative department only once on July 24. A statement from SAI claimed that she did not visit the Field of Play or interacted with any athlete training at the centre and all actions as per protocol have been taken. SAI informed that the centre has been sanitized and training of shooters won't be affected.

Earlier in May, a similar incident had happened in NIS centre in Bangalore where one of the cooks at the Centre died and later tested positive for coronavirus. 

A number of leading Indian athletes have been staying throughout the lockdown at the Centre. Among the athletes who are at the facility include India men's and women's senior hockey players and 10 members of the athletics squad who are all training for the postponed Tokyo Olympics.

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