Athletes anxious to start training soon
Despite relaxations, sportspersons wait for nod from sports ministry
A day after the union home ministry allowed sports activities without fans in stadiums, elite athletes and coaches in the country awaited on Monday for more clarity on the guideline from the sports ministry to resume training.
Athletes staying in isolation at the Sports Authority of India centres in Patiala and Bengaluru did not resume training as they awaited a green light from the authorities.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted in the evening that suggested the athletes can end their almost two-month wait.
“I am happy to inform sportspersons and all concerned that sports activities will be conducted in sports complexes and stadia strictly in accordance with MHA guidelines and that of the states in which they are situated.
However, use of gyms and swimming pools are still prohibited,” Rijiju tweeted.
Around 50 athletes and nine lifters are stuck to their rooms at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala since the lockdown began on March 25. The hockey squads of 24 players each with their 14-member support staff are at the SAI centre in Bengaluru.
“We were asked by SAI officials to wait for guidelines from the (sports) ministry,” said a coach from Patiala.
A SAI panel has drafted the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for resumption of training, but the coaches at the two centres are yet to receive it.
DUTEE TRAINS ON
Top sprinters, Dutee Chand and Amiya Mallick, the 100m national record holders, though were allowed to train on the synthetic track at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar during lockdown.
“We could continue training, in the morning and evening, as the Odisha government let us use the facilities. We’ve been training in isolation, and sanitise equipment in the gym before use. Since international and domestic competitions were cancelled, the focus and intensity of training were changed, step-by-step,” said Chand on Monday.
A coach supervising the sessions said: “As elite athletes and preparing for the Olympics, Chand and Mallick were allowed to train.”
Mallick too is into off-season workouts. “Being an international athlete, adapting to new circumstances isn’t new,” he said. “I’m working on small muscle groups that would help me get stronger, stay injury free and run faster when season resume.”
Hockey India said it awaits further “suitable guidelines and approvals” from the sports ministry and SAI to resume the national camps. Chief badminton coach Pullela Gopichand said he cannot open his academy in Hyderabad until there is more clarity on the home ministry guidelines. “I was little confused after the announcement yesterday (Sunday). I realised it didn’t have any impact on us because it says stadia/sports complexes to open whereas ours is a training academy/training institution as per protocol. So, we are waiting for government guidelines on it,” he said.