The Indian contingent’s journey of Olympics would be a tough one. The contingent from India has been asked to adhere to a raft of stringent norms at the Tokyo Olympics
The Indian athletes will be under pressure to perform well and at the same time their movements in Tokyo will be monitored. Players like Vinesh Phogat or Manika Batra are requested to follow the strict guidelines set by the committee and if they refused to follow them, they would be disqualified from the tournament.
India is still considered as a “red-list” country due to the second wave of COVID-19 and the delta variant and this is the reason why the Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have set a few guidelines especially for the Indian players.
The statement made by the advisory said, “For three days after your (athletes and officials) arrive in Japan, you will not be able to physically interact with players from other team or country. For instance, in all sports, you will not be able to interact or train with athletes from another country in that period.”
Team India COVID Norms For Tokyo Olympics 2021
1. RT-PCR tests to be conducted everyday: The RT-PCR tests would be conducted for all the players every 7 days before they leave they leave for Tokyo.
Upon their arrival in Tokyo, The athletes would be tested daily and for the first three days, they will have to undergo compulsory isolation. So, in simpler terms, the hockey team would be tested every 21 days.
2. Different arrangements for accommodation: According to the guidelines set by the organizers, the players can only check-in to the Games Village just five days before the marquee event begins. The Olympics will begin on July 23. In case, if the Indian Contingent, reaches Tokyo in advance, they will have to make arrangements on their own during the initial days.
3. Follow social distancing: Upon reaching Tokyo, the athletes would be required to follow strict institutional quarantine for the first three days. This also means, that they are not supposed to interact with anyone and are prohibited from using the dining halls at the time of the games.
4. Dietary planning: Players such as Neeraj Chopra and Manu Bhaker , would not be able to leave their rooms for the first three days, so packaged food will be delivered to them at their doorstep. Now, the question arises as to how their nutritional needs and diet plans would be followed. Since in the earlier days, as far as the food hall is concerned, the dietician of the team, used to look after that. But now, the dietician, himself would be isolating. So, this can become a huge issue.
5. No time for practice: The most important thing when you reach a foreign country is to get adapted to their conditions. But since the players would be spending their first three days in quarantine, they will only 2-3 days to become accustomed to their conditions and perform in their topmost form. This can be a matter of huge concern.
According to some reports, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is going to hold a talk with the organizing committee to remove confusion regarding the rules. During a recent interview with the Indian Express, an official said, “The quarantine isn’t really hard but they say that we cannot come in touch with other athletes from other countries. The problem is then, where will the players eat his or her food? Also, where would they train given that the training areas would be used by other athletes from other countries? Are we supposed to train our athletes in the isolation in the middle of the night?”
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