World Championships silver medallist Deepak Punia and two other male wrestlers at the Sports Authority of India training centre, Sonepat, have been detected with COVID-19 infection.
Navin (65kg) and Krishan (125kg) are the other two.
“Three senior men’s wrestlers, who had reported to the National Wrestling Camp at SAI Centre in Sonepat, have tested positive for COVID -19 virus,” SAI has confirmed in a statement. The wrestlers have been shifted to SAI-affiliated hospitals for monitoring and treatment.
Punia has earned a berth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which were deferred by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t have any symptoms and I don’t feel anything unusual in my body. I am perfectly alright; I don’t know how I tested positive. I am just now waiting for another test after two days. I am not worried,” PTI has reported Punia as saying.
As per protocol, all wrestlers along with the coaches and support staff had undergone the mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the camp.
The Wrestling Federation of India meanwhile has confirmed that the camp will continue as per plan after the three COVID-19 positive wrestlers have been moved out of the centre.
The three wrestlers will take a fresh test on Saturday.
Earlier Asian and Commonwealth Games champion Vinesh Phogat, the only Indian woman wrestler to have qualified for Tokyo Olympics, had also tested positive ahead of the national sports awards ceremony last week, where she was to receive the Khel Ratna.
Vinesh, who competes in 53kg category, has tested negative in the latest examination but will continue to remain in isolation as a precautionary measure.