Deepak Punia and two other wrestlers test Covid positive

CHANDIGARH: World championship silver medallist Deepak Punia and two other senior men’s wrestlers have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus on their arrival for the national camp in Sonipat, the Sports Authority of India confirmed on Thursday.
As per the SAI protocols for resumption of sporting activities, all the wrestlers along with the coaches and support staff were made to undergo mandatory RTPCR test for Covid-19 on their arrival.
Besides Deepak, Navin (65 kg) and Krishan (125 kg) have also tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The trio have been moved to a SAI empanelled hospital as a precautionary measure for further monitoring.
With his silver at the worlds, Punia had secured a place for himself at the Tokyo Olympics. Wrestlers in five freestyle categories -- 57kg, 65kg, 74kg, 86kg, and 125kg and those in the 60kg, 77kg, and 87kg weight groups have been selected for Greco Roman for the month-long camp that has been sanctioned by the SAI till September 30.
Earlier, star women’s wrestler Vinesh Phogat had on Wednesday confirmed her recovery from the coronavirus after having tested negative twice. She, however, continues to remain in isolation for precautionary purpose.
The 26-year-old could not receive her Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award as she had tested positive just ahead of the virtual National Sports Awards ceremony on August 29. The only woman wrestler to have qualified for Tokyo Olympics, Vinesh said she would prefer to be in isolation for some time.
At the insistence of Vinesh and many other grapplers, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) was earlier forced to postpone the women’s national camp, scheduled in Lucknow from September 1.