CHENNAI: The Indian women team’s Asian Champions Trophy campaign hangs in the balance after one of the players tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday morning.
On the eve of their second match of the tournament against South Korea, the player in question returned a positive test. She was tested on Tuesday.
As a result, India’s match against China, originally slated for Thursday, will not go ahead. Hockey India is in constant touch with the members of the Indian women’s hockey team who are currently in Donghae, South Korea, for the Asian Champions Trophy.
A press release from HI said, “At this moment, we have been informed of one positive case within the Indian team, the athlete is showing no symptoms and she is being monitored regularly. The rest of the team members are in quarantine and will be tested again. We are in touch with the local authorities, AHF (Asian Hockey Federation) and Indian high commission at Seoul who have ensured all necessary assistance is being provided to the team at the moment.”
Even as reports emerged that the team withdrew, AHF CEO, Tayyab Ikram, said they would issue a release soon. However, HI refused to say when asked whether the team had withdrawn from the tournament.
This is the second team to be hit by Covid in South Korea, which is facing a sustained Covid surge in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the country reported 7,175 new infections, with Prime Minister, Kim Boo-kyum warning citizens that hospitals were facing pressure because of the rise in cases.
Worryingly for the tournament, Malaysia had to withdraw after one of their athletes tested positive a day before the event began.
As a result, the six-team event became a five-team meet.
It’s not yet confirmed if India would face the same fate.
So far, India, in their first event since their fourth place finish at the Olympics, have played one match: a 13-0 win over Thailand in their opener. India’s final match is against Japan on Saturday.