Wrestler Deepak Punia, two others test COVID-19 positive

All three are part of a national camp at the SAI Centre in Sonepat ahead of which the wrestlers are in quarantine

Three senior male wrestlers, including world championship silver-medallist Deepak Punia, have tested positive for COVID-19, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) said on Thursday. Besides the Olympic-bound Punia (86kg), the other two wrestlers who have tested positive for the virus are Navin (65kg) and Krishan (125kg). All three are part of a national camp at the SAI Centre in Sonepat ahead of which the wrestlers are in quarantine.

"Three senior men's wrestlers, who had reported to the National Wrestling Camp at SAI Centre in Sonepat, have tested positive for COVID -19 virus," the nodal sports body said in a statement. With his silver at the worlds, Punia had secured a place for himself at the Tokyo Olympics. They have been moved to a SAI empanelled hospital as a precautionary measure for further monitoring.

All wrestlers were tested, upon arrival, as per the SAI SOP for resumption of sports activities.
As per protocol, all wrestlers along with the coaches and support staff underwent the mandatory RT-PCR test to detect COVID-19 on arrival. When contacted, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) Assistant Secretary Vinod Tomar said the camp will go ahead as planned.

"They (the three) will be tested again after two days and if they return negative tests, they will be brought back," he told PTI. "There is no threat to the national camp. It will continue. The wrestlers will begin training only after they complete their quarantine period of 14 days," Tomar added. All the wrestlers assembled for the camp on September 1.

Earlier Asian and Commonwealth Games champion Vinesh Phogat, the only Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for Tokyo Olympics, tested positive ahead of the national sports awards ceremony last week, where she was to receive the Khel Ratna.

Vinesh, who competes in 53kg category, has tested negative in the latest examination but will continue to remain in isolation as a precautionary measure.

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