SPORTS AUTHORITY LAYS DOWN RESUMPTION RULES

New Delhi, May 21: Baton exchange won’t be allowed in relay training, boxers will not have access to rings and only singles players will get to practice at indoor badminton courts, according to the Sports Authority of India’s SOP for resumption of training, the timeline for which is still not clear.

Athletics, hockey, badminton, boxing and shooting were among the 11 disciplines which were permitted to resume outdoor training following relaxations in the lockdown to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Weightlifters, archers, cyclists, fencers, wrestlers and paddlers too can resume training with requisite safety measures. The SOP, however, prohibits sparring for contact disciplines and has barred the use of swimming pools for now. “Human sparring, use of boxing ring, etc. is prohibited,” the SOP said.

The SAI’s SOP came after the home ministry allowed the opening of sports complexes and stadia in its guidelines for the fourth phase of the lockdown, which has been extended till May 31. But there has been no clarity on when the training will resume.

Even though the SOP will be “applicable with immediate effect”, resumption of sports activities across the country will depend entirely on local administrations.

“The protocols of the SOP will be effective from immediate effect, but the logistics might take time,” SAI secretary Rohit Bharadwaj said in an online press conference to unveil the SOP.