RANCHI: The 11th National Junior Women’s Hockey Championship, to be held at Simdega AstroTurf Hockey Stadium in Jharkhand from April 3, has been postponed after 11 players tested positive for COVID-19.
According to the Simdega district administration, six players from Jharkhand and five from Chandigarh along with a coach were found to be positive for the virus.
“The AstroTurf stadium has been sealed after declaring it a containment zone and the players who tested positive have been admitted to the COVID care hospital. Those who have already reached here are being sent back,” said Simdega DC Sushant Gaurav. At least five teams which were on their way to take part in the tournament, have also been asked to return, he added.
Hockey Jharkhand President Bholanath Singh said that the tournament has been postponed for the time being and they will make all efforts to organise it in Simdega after the situation becomes normal.
“All the teams, who already had left to take part in the tournament, have been asked to return. Teams of Haryana, Punjab, Jammu Kashmir and Himachal have already reached Delhi while the Madhya Pradesh team was at Jabalpur station,” said Bholanath Singh. A total of 28 teams were to take part in the tournament, he added.
This is for the first time that Simdega was hosting two back-to-back national events starting from March 10. The Hockey India sub-junior women’s national championship-2021 has already been concluded at Simdega AstroTurf Hockey Stadium during March 10-18.
Simdega and its adjoining districts like Khunti and Gumla are known as the hockey belt of Jharkhand and have produced several national and international players, both men and women.