Athlete tests COVID positive at Karni Singh range, national camp to go on

The Sports Authority of India has confirmed that an athlete training at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range has tested positive for the coronavirus. Despite the incident, the Sports Authority has said that the national championship will go on as planned.

New Delhi:An athlete training at Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Sports Authority of India said on Sunday confirming that the ongoing national camp will go on as planned.

"The athlete, who last visited the range on October 28 in the second half of the day, intimated to his coach that his test result had come positive. All NCOE athletes who were training at the time this shooter had last visited the range have been asked to go into 14 days quarantine and rejoin after a Covid negative report. The same process is to be followed by the support staff who came in contact with the shooter," SAI said in a statement.

However, there will be no impact on the national squad of Olympic bound shooters training at the range owing to this reported case, since an exclusive slot has been given in the first half of the day for Olympic athletes to train and a one hour gap is given between first and second half, when NCOE athletes come to train.

Once the NCOE athletes leave after their training in the second half, the entire facility is sanitised again before Olympic bound athletes come for training the next morning. The range is also sanitised between the two sessions during the day.

In October, SAI approved a two-month coaching camp for the Olympic core group shooters from October 15 to December 14.

The camp comprises 32 shooters (18 men and 14 women), 8 coaches, 3 foreign coaches and two support staff. All 15 Olympic quota winners are part of the camp, which is taking place at a total cost of Rs 1.43 crore.

ANI