Sikki, physio test negative for COVID-19, badminton camp to restart on Aug 17

Sikki had tested positive for the deadly virus earlier in the week and were asymptomatic following which the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad

New Delhi: The badminton national camp will restart on August 17 after N Sikki Reddy and physiotherapist Kiran C tested negative for COVID-19. The pair had tested positive for the deadly virus earlier in the week and were asymptomatic following which the Gopichand Academy in Hyderabad, where the camp was being held, was closed for sanitisation.

"Shuttler Sikki Reddy and Physiotherapist Kiran C, who were part of the badminton national camp at Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy in Hyderabad and had tested positive for COVID-19, took the RT PCR test again, and both have tested negative," said the Sports Authority of India (SAI) on Saturday.

N Sikki Reddy is a CWG gold medallist.

"The decision to test them again was taken because both were asymptomatic and even their family members were COVID-19 negative."

Following the fresh test results, national chief badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said, "Since all campers are COVID negative, we have decided to go ahead with the camp, following the SOP. Training will resume at the academy from Monday, August 17."

The national camp got underway on August 7. Apart from Reddy, the players in the camp include reigning world champion P.V. Sindhu, former world no.1 Kidambi Srikanth, star men's doubles pair Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Sikki's doubles partner Ashwini Ponnappa.

N Sikki Reddy

Former world no. 1 Saina Nehwal is expected to join the camp in the coming weeks. She is currently training at an adjacent facility with husband and fellow shuttler Parupalli Kashyap.