Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021: COVID-19 testing, tracking in full swing in Odisha

In order to make the Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021 event a safe, secured and memorable experience, the management of the event is making sure that all the players, officials, hotel staff and associates are tested against COVID-19 every 72 hours.

In order to make the Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021 event a safe, secured and memorable experience, the management of the event is making sure that all the players, officials, hotel staff and associates are tested against COVID-19 every 72 hours. "On average 500 tests against COVID-19 are being conducted and same day reports are being generated by the regional medical research centre. Every 72 hours each and every person including players, officials, hotel staff and associates involved with the event are retested against COVID-19. Designated officials of the Sports and Youth Services Department personally oversee the entire functioning while also ensuring no one misses the cycle of 72 hours," said R Vineel Krishna, Secretary Sports, Odisha.

"Despite the COVID-19 pandemic challenges, the players should be able to train and play with full confidence and pride and return with a good experience. So, we are doing everything possible to prepare for the smooth conduct of the Games. We are working towards making this international sporting event, safe, secured and memorable for the junior hockey players who have come here with big dreams," he added. "Given the myriad challenges posed due to the pandemic, the event officials led by the organising committee have tried to put together a flawless system of testing and tracking for an incident-free event," he stated.

"Testing and Tracking and matching records are challenging and officials of Sports and Youth Services Department are ensuring this process is implemented smoothly in accordance with training and match schedules and as per the convenience. It shouldn't be an overwhelming experience for the players," added the Sports Secretary. He further stated that for this event, the focus is on safety and since November 8, since the arrival of the India Junior Team, testing has commenced for players and officials and was ramped up from 15 November, once the international teams started arriving.

The Sports Secretary stated that a more elaborate testing process is in place now. He stated that a unit from Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation along with one from Capital Hospital, are stationed for sample collection, at different hotels where players are accommodated. 12 units have been deployed for the task, he added. "Upon arrival at the airport, the players are taken to their respective hotels where the testing team with PPE kit tests each and every arriving player and official. These RTPCR tests are conducted following all COVID-19 guidelines. The players have been very accommodating of the COVID-19 guidelines and norms. Countermeasures are also in place in case there is any incident reported. Bhubaneswar was amongst the first city to be 100 per cent vaccinated so there is some relief there," he further said.

Odisha will host this year's Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2021 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from November 24 to December 5. This is the first international event in the country after the COVID-19 pandemic started. Several teams including India, Germany, Poland, Belgium, USA, Canada, South Africa, The Netherlands, have arrived In Bhubaneswar ahead of the games, and a few more will be in the next couple of days. (ANI)

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