The national camp for the Indian women’s wrestling team will be held with elaborate hygiene and safety standards at SAI centre Lucknow. This will be the first training camp for the women wrestlers since the lockdown was imposed in March this year.
The wrestlers have arrived in Lucknow and will complete a sevenday quarantine before starting their individual training. The camp is scheduled till December 31, and will comprise 16 wrestlers and 4 support staff. Campers will be staying in the residential facilities at SAI Lucknow. India has so far won one Olympic quota in women’s wrestling through Vinesh Phogat in 53 kg category.
Two further qualification tournaments, Asian Qualification tournament and World Qualification tournament are scheduled next year where India will get an opportunity to win an Olympic quota in the remaining five women’s wrestling events According to officials of Sports Authority of India, elaborate safety precautions have been made at the SAI Lucknow campus in order to maintain a secure bio-bubble for the wrestlers to train as well as to separate athletes, service providers and office visitors.
This is aimed at preventing an inadvertent transmission of Covid-19. This has been done in the form of a colour code zoning of Green Zone, Yellow Zone and Red Zone. In order to maintain safety protocols, all visitors will be screened for symptoms. Kuldeep Malik, Indian Women’s Wrestling Team chief coach, said, “In view of Covid-19, we will be maintaining social distance for the first week of training, after which we will start regular training. All the campers will get their Covid reports by Sunday.
We are confident that all arrangements will be in place for regular training.” Malik further said that with the World Championships scheduled in December, India is expected to return with their best ever medal haul. Proper arrangements have been made for the campers to stay in the elite hostel in a secure manner. Regular monitoring of athletes will be done. Temperature and oxygen levels of these wrestlers are being monitored.
Pooja Dhanda, bronze medalist of World Championship 2018 and 2019 Arjuna Award recipient, said, “The facilities in the room are very good and we have been provided everything. We really feel like we are national campers. We are getting daily updates in the morning about our food and menu, everything is very proper and systemized. Food here is very good. With current facilities, we really feel good and have the motivation to give our best.”