Rahul Aware becomes 5th Indian wrestler to test positive for coronavirus

World Championship bronze medallist wrestler Rahul Aware has returned positive for the coronavirus and has become the 5th Indian wrestler, including Vinesh Phogat, to test positive for the virus. The Men’s national training camp, at the Sports Authority Of India”s (SAI) Sonepat Centre, started on September 1 and 4 male wrestlers have tested positive since.
Before the 28-year-old, four other Indian wrestler have already tested positive: Vinesh Phogat, Deepak Punia, Navin and Krishan. Rahul Aware, of the men’s freestyle 57 kg category, had won a bronze in non-Olympic 61kg weight category at the Worlds in Nur-Sultan in 2019.

“As per protocol Aware has now been shifted to a SAI empaneled hospital as a precautionary measure and for further monitoring,” the SAI said in a statement.

“Aware has been in quarantine since his arrival at the camp and didn”t come in contact with any other athelete or staff members since his arrival,” it further stated.

While Vinesh Phogat remains in isolation after testing negative for the virus, male wrestler Deepak Punia was asymptomatic and was hence discharged from the hospital, after which he has been in home isolation. Both Phogat and Punia are Olympic-bound after they received medals in the World Championships last year and will play in next year’s Tokyo Olympics, which was originally supposed to commence this year. While the Men’s national camp had already started on September 1 in Sonepat and hence the WFI decided to carry on with training, the Women’s camp is yet to start amid the pandemic.