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Indian hockey will hit the restart button and start the Olympic preparations when the ladies’s staff travels to Argentina subsequent week for its first tour in almost a 12 months after the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted all competitions all over the world.
A core group of 25 gamers and 7 assist employees will depart from New Delhi on January 3. The Indian girls’s staff will compete in eight matches towards hosts Argentina, ranging from January 17.
“We have a little over 200 days before we arrive in Tokyo for the Olympic Games in July 2021 and it was very important to play matches against a strong team like Argentina,” Indian girls’s hockey staff captain Rani stated in a launch issued by Hockey India.
“The team is really excited for this opportunity and has been keenly looking forward to this tour, this exposure will make us understand the level we are at after nearly a five-month long National Coaching Camp in Bengaluru.”
The Indian girls’s staff final participated in a global tour in January this 12 months when it travelled to New Zealand for a five-match collection. It performed each New Zealand and Great Britain within the five-match collection and had been victorious in three of them.
“I am happy that after one year we are able to play international matches. This tour will give us information for the next step to be made in our preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games,” stated chief coach Sjoerd Marijne.
Hockey India and the host National Association have deliberate to create a bio bubble in Argentina for each the groups.
The Indian girls’s staff will likely be staying in a lodge the place provisions to have separate rooms/halls for the staff for all of the meals, staff conferences, classes and so forth have been made.
The lodging will likely be on twin sharing foundation, the place the room sharing companions will stay identical all through the tour who can even be identical even in case of the seating association within the staff coach/bus, this has been deliberate rigorously holding in thoughts all essential necessities.
“This tour has been planned very carefully keeping in mind the safety of players and we are truly grateful to Hockey India and SAI for ensuring we resume competition despite the ongoing pandemic,” Rani stated.
Among different protocols, the staff members is not going to be transferring out of the bubble and assembly any third-party supply as even whereas travelling to the match/coaching venue the staff will likely be travelling in a devoted transport which is able to solely take upto 80% capability.
The whole Indian contingent will bear COVID-19 RT-PCR Test 72 hours previous to their departure from New Delhi.
There is not any requirement of quarantine upon arrival in Argentina however the staff will nonetheless be following all security and well being measures as suggested by the respective Governments of India & Argentina.
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