Reddy tests Covid+, Gopi academy shut
NEWDELHI: Barely a week after the national badminton camp for elite players opened, the Pullela Gopichand academy in Hyderabad was shut on Thursday for sanitisation after doubles specialist N Sikki Reddy and physiotherapist C Kiran tested positive for Covid-19. Reddy is India’s highest ranked women’s (world No.28 with Ashwini Ponnappa) and mixed doubles (No.27 with Pranaav Jerry Chopra) player. Those who returned to train at the academy, including world champion PV Sindhu, have gone into home quarantine. It is not clear when the facility will reopen.
“Both Sikki and Kiran are asymptomatic. All primary contacts of Sikki and Kiran have been traced and are being given the RT PCR test again. Both are locals of Hyderabad and have been attending the camp from home,” a Sports Authority of India (SAI) statement said.
The two were found positive when results of the mandatory Covid-19 tests taken by the players, coaches, and administrative and support staff came. “All necessary precautions as per protocol are being taken so that players can come back for training safely and as soon as possible,” chief national coach Gopichand said from Hyderabad.
Some results came in on Wednesday while the others— like Reddy—were informed about their report on Thursday. “They are in home quarantine. There will be another round of tests five or six days later. All decisions will be taken after that,” said an official on condition of anonymity.
The national camp was shut in March after the international calendar was suspended by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). It finally resumed on August 7, after the Telangana government allowed the opening of stadiums and academies from August 5.
Only eight Olympic probables are in the initial training group— Reddy, world champion Sindhu, B Sai Praneeth, Saina Nehwal, Kidambi Srikanth, Ashwini Ponnappa, Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
Sindhu, Sai Praneeth and Reddy started training from the first day, Srikanth joined on Monday after arriving from hometown Guntur. Olympic bronze medallist Nehwal is training with husband Parupalli Kashyap at another centre in Hyderabad. She is due to join the camp after more court time.
Shetty (Mumbai), Ponnappa (Bengaluru) and Rankireddy (Amalapuram) wanted to return only after monitoring the situation for a couple of weeks. “It is quite unfortunate this has happened,” world No.10 men’s doubles specialist Shetty said from Mumbai.