Sports Authority of India (SAI) has formulated a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for contact sports including wrestling which has to be followed before resuming training later this month.
A six-member committee, headed by secretary Rohit Bhardwaj formulated a 33-page draft in which sports are divided into four categories — non-contact, minimal-contact, full contact, and water sports. The document is yet to get clearance from the Health and Home Ministry.
The document proposes making the Arogya Setu app mandatory for all athletes, coaches and support staff. Social distancing has to be strictly followed at training venues. Use of PPE kits by medical practitioners on duty, increased sanitation measures and stringent supervision of athletes health are among the slew of measures to counter the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
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“The committee has outlined a broad SOP but it is not final. it is the first draft which is yet to be vetted by the Sports Ministry as well as the Health Ministry. We can’t expect the SOP to be passed in totality,” an SAI source said, reported PTI.
For wrestlers, boxers and other contact sport athletes, SAI has drafted specific precautions too. “Selective training can be performed by athletes individually, Personal equipment to not be shared, and athletes cannot exit training centres as soon as training ends,” reported Times Now.
Wrestling Federation Of India (WFI) had suspended the national camps in Sonepat and Lucknow in March. Vinod Tomar, assistant secretary of WFI, said that they will resume training once the lockdown ends. However, they are yet to submit their suggestions to SAI. Tomar had said that they can only do it after receiving guidelines from United World Wrestling (UWW).Meanwhile, WFI had released a list of 39 wrestlers who will be joining the national camp post-lockdown. While Men’s freestyle and Women’s Wrestling had 15 athletes each, Greco-Roman had nine wrestlers. Only the grapplers in the Olympic weight division will be part of the national camp.
