Hockey player Navjot Kaur banned from 2022 Commonwealth Games

Indian midfielder Navjot Kaur’s campaign at the Commonwealth Games has come to an abrupt end as she is set to return home after testing positive for COVID-19.
The 27-year-old from Kurukshetra had been in isolation for two days.

“Experienced player Navjot Kaur had tested positive for Covid 19 but was showing no symptoms,” read a statement from Hockey India about the 27-year-old who had been in self-isolation for two days. “She was allowed to return to India tomorrow. She was replaced by Sonika.

Navjot, a member of the Asian Games silver medalist team in Jakarta, also won a bronze medal with India at the 2014 Incheon Games. His exclusion from the games comes a day after India won their Commonwealth Games opener 5-0 against Ghana on Friday. They face Wales in their next game on Saturday.

Earlier, two cricketers from India’s contingent for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Pooja Vastrakar and S Meghana, also tested positive before leaving India but recovered. While Meghana has already joined the team, Pooja is expected to join ahead of the third game against Barbados on August 3.
Earlier this week, Games organizers said the Games Village was reporting around a dozen cases a day.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has advised national contingent players to avoid public appearances and stay indoors due to the continued threat of the COVID-19 pandemic which could hamper their chances of participation.