NEW DELHI: Five Indian hockey players, including captain Manpreet Singh, have tested positive for Covid-19 at the team’s training base in Bengaluru and the number of infected players could rise, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has said.

Manpreet, Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh, Varun Kumar and Krishan B. Pathak had initially tested negative on their return to the training base after a month’s break.

A dozen players were subsequently tested for a second time after Manpreet and Surender displayed Covid-19 symptoms, the SAI said in a statement on Friday.

“The quarantined athletes did not interact with other athletes who were already present at the camp ... few test results are still awaited,” it said.

The players might have contracted the virus while travelling from their hometowns to Bangalore, it added.

“I am very happy that they made the testing of athletes mandatory,” Manpreet said. “That proactive step helped in identifying the problem right in time. I am doing fine and hope to recover very soon.”

The global health crisis continues to disrupt athletes’ training in India, the worst hit country in Asia where coronavirus cases have topped 2 million.

The country’s shooting federation has called off a camp for its elite shooters that was to begin this week on the outskirts of Delhi.

Eight of India’s elite badminton players, including world champion Pusarla Sindhu returned to training in Hyderabad on Friday, but shooters’ camp, which was to begin this week on the outskirts of Delhi, has been called off.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2020