CHENNAI: Camps for both the senior men's and women's teams may begin only in the fourth week of August.
While the players who left on a break have been asked to assemble at the SAI campus, Bengaluru on August 4, it's expected that all of them will have to serve a compulsory two-week quarantine inside the campus. There could be a further one-week observation period before they commence on-field training after August 20.
The maximum the players will be able to do during this period is workouts in their rooms. It's expected that all the returnees will be subject to a Covid-19 test upon arrival.
One of the first to return will be women's head coach, Sjoerd Marijne. The Dutchman, who had gone home in June, is scheduled to reach Bengaluru late on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Marijne, who has already returned a negative Covid-19 test before flying to India, though, will likely have to undergo quarantine at a hotel earmarked for the same as he is coming from abroad. If he is symptomatic, it's possible that he may even be whisked to hospital for follow up tests.
Meanwhile, the men's team will find out this month the status of the Asian Champions Trophy. The Asian Hockey Federation (AFH) will meet to take a call on going ahead as per schedule or deferring it to next year. Even if the AFH do decide to hold it this year -- hosts Dhaka have 15,790 confirmed cases -- the Indian government will have to grant permission.
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