21 boxers, coaches test Covid positive at New Delhi’s IG sports complex

Training of elite women boxers, including those bound for the Tokyo Olympics, has been jeopardised with 21 Covid positive cases reported at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex here on Wednesday.

According to the Sports Authority of India, those infected are boxers and coaching staff members. None of the Tokyo-bound boxers are positive. Four women boxers have qualified for the Olympics.

“All those who have tested positive are asymptomatic and they have been moved to a quarantine zone as per the common protocol,” SAI said. “The Olympics-bound boxers and other campers who tested negative have been shifted to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.”

It is learnt that the team's foreign coach Raffaele Bergamasco and chief coach Mohd Ali Qamar are among those who have tested positive. “Most are asymptomatic. Only two members of the support staff are showing symptoms. They have been examined by a doctor,” said a source.

Trials were recently held at the IG Stadium for the Asian Championships, due to be held here from May 21.

A spate of positive cases have been reported from SAI training centres across the country. On Tuesday, five track and field athletes, including Tokyo-bound 20km race walker Priyanka Goswami, tested positive at SAI centre, Bengaluru. The 3,000m steeplechase runner Avinash Sable, who has qualified for the Olympics, is also training there.

Before Tuesday, 30 positive cases of athletes and support staff were reported from SAI centres in Patiala and Bengaluru, the two big hubs for athletes bound for the Tokyo Olympics. Boxing was the worst affected with 10 cases from the men’s camp in Patiala. In the SAI centre, Bhopal, 24 athletes and 12 support staff members tested positive. SAI said no Tokyo-bound athlete in these centres had tested positive.

Tests are being conducted by SAI as a precautionary measure amid the sudden surge in infection across the country. Weekly testing of all athletes, support staff and administration officials will be done at SAI centres. The Indian Olympic Association has asked the sports ministry to facilitate vaccination of those in the Olympics squad on a priority basis.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.