Wrestler Vinesh Phogat tests positive for COVID-19, set to miss virtual National Sports award ceremony

World Championship Bronze medal winner Vinesh Phogat tests positive for COVID-19 days after pulling out of national camp for Olympic weight category wrestlers.

World Championship Bronze medal winner Vinesh Phogat tests positive for COVID-19 days after pulling out of national camp for Olympic weight category wrestlers.

Asian games Gold medalist Vinesh Phogat said that she has tested positive for Novel Coron virus and, the wrestler was recently conferred with the Rajiv Gnadhi khel Ratna award, confirmed the news on Friday. Vinesh Phogat will be missing the National Sports Awards ceremony which was to be virtually on Saturday where she was set to be conferred with the Rajiv Ganfhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour.

Advertisement

“Yes, I have tested positive for COVID-19 when my sample was taken in Sonepat before the dress rehearsal for the awards ceremony. I will recover soon, God willing, I am in isolation at home”.

The wrestling federation had decided to host a national camp for the Olympic weight category wrestlers, the men’s camp was to be held in Sonepat and women at Lucknow next month, Vinesh Phogat has decided she wont be traveling to Lucknow cited her health issues due to the corona virus. She said she tends to fall sick easily and that she is comfortable training in Sonepat, she has already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics and she is following the plan sent by her personal coach Woller Akos.

“I am not going to attend the camp. I am training every day with coach Om Parkash, who follows the plan which my personal coach Woller Akos sends me every week.”

“My stomach is pretty sensitive. You can’t go out of the SAI centre in Lucknow, so you can’t get yourself a few things which you need. In Lucknow, cases are rising but it’s safe in Haryana, so I am more comfortable here.”

However Vinod Tomar  assistant secretary for Wrestling Federation of India was not pleased by her decision, saying the committee will decide if Vinesh would get an exception.

“We want preparation to kick off now for Olympics. We are not running a shop for our benefit, the camp is for players and when they express such apprehensions, it’s a bit surprising,” Tomar had said.

Vinesh Phogat surely is one of the Wrestler from whom India expects medals at the highest stage such as Olympics, A lack of transparency between the wrestlers and the Federation could cost them dearly with Olympics just around the corner, the Tokyo Olympics was postponed in the wake  of the Covid-19 Panemic but will resume soon enough after the situation is favourable.