Mandeep Singh tests positive for COVID-19 amidst COVID-19 crisis at SAI

The Indian hockey camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) complex has been hit by a coronavirus crisis with as many as six players testing positive for the virus. The players were in mandatory quarantine before the resumption of training, which began on August 4. The Mandeep Singh COVID-19 result makes him the latest entry among Indian hockey players with coronavirus. Mandeep Singh remains asymptomatic. 

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Mandeep Singh COVID-19: Indian hockey coronavirus crisis continues as striker becomes latest to test positive

The Sports of Authority of India on Monday announced the results of the Mandeep Singh COVID-19 test, making him the sixth Indian player to test positive for the virus. SAI announced that the 25-year-old was given the COVID-19 test (RT PCR) along with 20 other players at the National Camp at SAI's National Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Before the Mandeep Singh COVID-19 confirmation, Indian captain Manpreet Singh tested positive for COVID-19 along with four others last week. Defender Surender Kumar, Jaskaran Singh, drag-flicker Varun Kumar and goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak are the other four hockey players with coronavirus. 

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According to the SAI doctors, all the Indian hockey players were showing only mild symptoms and are doing well. They are being housed in the National Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The players were earlier stranded at the National Excellence Centre for over two months until June when a national lockdown was imposed to contain the coronavirus pandemic. SAI said that routine investigations as per protocol will be conducted by doctors till players' vitals are normal again.

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Indian hockey coach Graham Reid had said that all the five tested players were doing fine as he himself is currently under self-isolation. Reid said that SAI is taking good care of the players while the chefs are making special dishes for them as per their choice beyond the mess menu and the athletes are very happy about it. The former Australian hockey star said that he is very happy that the SAI made the testing of athletes mandatory. That proactive step helped in identifying the problem right in time and hopes that all athletes recover well. Mandeep Singh hails from Jalandhar and first came into the limelight after he was picked in the first-ever Hockey India League auction by the franchise Ranchi Rhinos for a winning bid of $13,000 (₹9.74 lakh) and subsequently made his India debut in 2013. 

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(Image Courtesy Mandeep Singh Instagram)