Five and a half months after gyms were closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, gymnasts, yoga and table tennis players returned to the Netaji Subhash Regional Training Center (NSRCC) indoor stadium here on Monday. when the state government approved the resumption of training in these three sports under the relaxed guidelines of Unlock 3.0.
While the center approved the standard operating procedure (SOP) for gyms and fitness centers to function as social distancing, sanitization, and disinfection, the use of face shields to the extent possible in yoga institutes and gyms, the government The state has granted permission to play table tennis as well, as it is mostly a non-contact sport.
Speaking to reporters after returning to the NSRCC indoor stadium this afternoon, the Olympian and Padmashri Dipa Karmakar said she was very happy to be around sports teams once again.
“I have been back in the gym for the first time since it closed on March 16. I have been at home these 5.5 months. Athletes tend to weaken mentally when we are away from our apparatus for long periods. But my trainer (Bisweswar Nandi) sir made us do physical training through online mode and he did not let us miss. I am very happy to be back here and I thank the state and central government for allowing us to return to our sports. We will do our best to maintain social distancing and other guidelines while we practice, ”said the ace gymnast.
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He said his main goal now is to get back to his usual performance level, after his 5.5-month time off the gym mat.
Dipa is known for her Produnova Vault, also dubbed the Vault of Death, at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was later awarded the coveted Padmashri award. Dipa Karmakar was also honored with the Arjuna Prize and the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Prize.
Their coach and Dronacharya recipient Bisweswar Nandi said that all scheduled contests were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so players would now focus on fitness, gradually return to their respective teams and regain their old level of performance.
“All events are postponed due to COVID-19. As the event schedule progresses, we’ll see what can be done. Right now, we will try to get all the players back to their old performance, “he said.
Tripura Sports Council Deputy Secretary Saraju Chakraborty said all corridors were disinfected and all players were thermally examined upon arrival today. He said that a selected group of players over the age of 14 was selected to train in the first phase.
“Until further orders, we will continue to work in this manner, maintaining social distancing and respecting the standard operating procedure prescribed by the government,” he said.
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.