Indian wrestling icon Vinesh Phogat, who was recommended to be bestowed with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, has tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, and will be absent from the National Sports Awards to be hosted on 29th August.
Vinesh Phogat, the Asian Games and Commowealth Games gold medallist, who earned her ticket at the Tokyo Olympic Games next year, was recommended to be in the list of Khel Ratna awardees. Now, testing positive for the virus, Phogat will miss out on Saturday’s National Sports Awards ceremony along with 14 more athletes.
In recent times, there has been a spike in COVID cases among the Indian sports fraternity, as a number of athletes were found to have contracted the virus, including U17 World Cup footballer Boris Thangjam and badminton player Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, the latter who was recommended for the Arjuna award, and will also be absent from the virtual ceremony.
God’s Willing: Vinesh Phogat confident on a quick recovery
“Yes, I have tested positive for COVID-19 when my sample was taken in Sonepat before the dress rehearsal for the awards ceremony,” Vinesh Phogat spoke to PTI on Friday evening.
“I will recover soon, God willing. I am in isolation at home,” the 26 year old added.
Vinesh also took two Twitter to confirm the news, stating that she is asymptomatic.
“I have tested positive for COVID-19 in a test taken yesterday. I am currently showing no symptoms but have isolated myself. All my family members are also isolating. I would request everyone who has come in contact with me recently to get tested. Stay safe everyone! Thank you đ” the wrestler tweeted.
I have tested positive for COVID-19 in a test taken yesterday. I am currently showing no symptoms but have isolated myself. All my family members are also isolating. I would request everyone who has come in contact with me recently to get tested. Stay safe everyone! Thank you đ
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) August 28, 2020
Recently, Vinesh Phogat had decided to pull out of the national wrestling camp, scheduled to start at SAI Centre in Lucknow, UP on 1st September, citing the prevalent COVID woes in the country to be the reason.
âI am not going to attend the camp. I am training everyday with coach Om Parkash, who follows the plan which my personal coach Woller Akos sends me every week. The situation is not good to travel to Lucknow,â Phogat told PTI last week.
Vinesh was named alongside four other esteemed sportspersons of the country to be awarded the Khel Ratna- Indian cricket team batsman Rohit Sharma, Indian Womenâs hockey team captain Rani Rampal, table tennis player Manika Batra and Paralympic high jumper Mariyappan Thangavelu.
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