Tokyo Olympics: Indian hockey teams' preparation not affected by coronavirus

The Indian men's and women's hockey teams' preparation for Tokyo Olympics has been unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic as they train in Bengaluru.

The Indian men's team is scheduled to play New Zealand in its first match at the Tokyo Olympics.

With just 125 days to go until the Indian men's and women's hockey teams take the field against New Zealand and Netherlands respectively in their first match at the Tokyo Olympics, both sides are continuing to train hard amid the rise of the coronavirus pandemic.

The players and support staff are taking all the necessary precautions at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) facility in Bengaluru. The campus is well-equipped for regular practice sessions and no unauthorised persons are allowed to enter the premises.

"The COVID-19 outbreak has not affected our practice sessions. We are continuously washing our hands and our temperatures are being checked regularly. The authorities at our SAI campus are ensuring that we are training in a safe environment. With the backing of SAI and our Coaches, we have been training very hard for the Olympics," said Indian men's team captain Manpreet Singh.

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The women's team skipper Rani Rampal expressed that her side is fortunate to continue to train for the Olympics in a safe environment.

"We are very fortunate to have a facility like the SAI campus here. Everyone is working very hard so that the hockey teams can continue to practice for the Olympics. Our health is being monitored everyday and we are taking all the necessary precautions. The authorities at SAI have helped us to continue to focus on our goal of performing well at the Tokyo Olympics," said Rani.

The men are scheduled to play New Zealand and the women are slated to face Netherlands in their first match at the Tokyo Olympics on 25 July 2020.