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India men’s hockey team in lock down mode over coronavirus scare
The hockey players have also been asked not to interact with campers from other sports and keep to themselves. Training activities, however, will go on for next month’s tour of Germany and Great Britain for the FIH Pro League matches.
With no matches scheduled till April 25 and in the wake of five confirmed cases COVID-19 in Karnataka, the men’s hockey team has been put in lock down mode, with players being told to neither go out of the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Southern Regional Centre in Bengaluru nor meet any visitors. The hockey players have also been asked not to interact with campers from other sports and keep to themselves. Training activities, however, will go on for next month’s tour of Germany and Great Britain for the FIH Pro League matches.
The team management has been directed to closely monitor players’ temperature. The women’s team, whose tour to China was called off a few days ago, is on a short break with the players asked to assemble in Bengaluru on March 22.
“We understand the growing concerns about Covid-19 virus and the team management as well as Hockey India are closely monitoring the situation. At this moment, we are staying focused on our preparations for the Tokyo Olympics. We don’t want this (concerns about Covid-19) to affect our motivation in anyway, so the intensity and training level has been the same,” said Graham Reid, chief coach of the men’s team, on Thursday.
“The SAI Centre in Bengaluru has taken stringent measures to ensure we are provided a safe environment to train. We are of course taking all the precautions and we have been directed to closely monitor players’ temperatures as regularly as after each training session,” Reid added.
As of now, there is no change in the schedule for India’s Pro League matches against Germany on April 25 and 26 at Monchengladbach. The German hockey federation, Deutsche Hockey Bund (DHB), has adopted a wait and watch policy as far as the India matches are concerned.
“At this point in time, we cannot yet make a concrete statement on the situation in Berlin at the end of April. We are in constant contact with Hockey India and the Indian team. It certainly depends on how the situation around Covid-19 will be until then,” said Christoph Plass, DHB’s media officer.
“After Australia and New Zealand have not to travel to Europe, the Pro League matches against Belgium will take place in Monchengladbach (March 19) and Hamburg (March 26), but—according to the health authorities—without spectators in the stadium,” Plass added.
With the situation changing every day, Reid said they are prepared for whatever decision the authorities take.
“Whether we will play the upcoming matches in FIH Hockey Pro League entirely depends on the directives we get from the Ministry and Govt. of India. For us, the whole focus is to be match-ready and we will remain in camp until end of this month,” he said.
