Indian hockey teams receive first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
"I got my first COVID-19 vaccine shot," P. R. Sreejesh, the men's hockey team's number one goalkeeper who has also led the side in the past, tweeted.
Published : Apr 29, 2021 20:23 IST
The seasoned P. R. Sreejesh led the way as the Olympic-bound Indian hockey teams on Thursday received their first dose of coronavirus vaccines in Bengaluru.
"I got my first COVID-19 vaccine shot," Sreejesh, the experienced men's team goalkeeper who has also led the side in the past, tweeted. He was administered the Covishield vaccine.
The players are currently undergoing training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru. All athletes bound for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics are supposed to be vaccinated on priority.
Recently, seven members of the Indian women's hockey team, including captain Rani Rampal, and two support staff members tested positive for coronavirus ahead of the training camp. The players and support staff were asymptomatic and were placed under observation at the SAI centre.
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Besides Rampal, the others who have been infected are Savita Punia, Sharmila Devi, Rajani, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur and Sushila.
The two support staff members who have tested positive are video analyst Amrutaprakash and scientific advisor Wayne Lombard.
The men's national team made successful tours of Europe and Argentina this year, where it dominated the reigning Olympic champion during the Pro League matches as well as the practice games.
The women's core group returned to the national camp last Sunday to restart preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Games after a 10-day break.
The 25-member women's Olympic core group underwent mandatory quarantine before the commencement of training. In January, the team had toured Argentina where it played seven matches.
During its tour of Germany in February-March, the Indian women's team lost all of its four matches against the host, which is ranked world number three.