Olympic-bound KT Irfan negative in confirmatory second Covid-19 test at SAI centre: Report

Olympic-bound race walker KT Irfan and four other elite track and field athletes have returned negative for Covid-19 in a confirmatory second test at Sports Authority of India’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, the nodal body said on Friday.

It was reported on Thursday that Irfan was among five athletes who have tested positive for Covid-19 at the SAI’s Centre of Excellence in a weekly test conducted on May 7.

But SAI on Friday confirmed that all these athletes, who got their first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine on April 29, have returned negative in the second test conducted on Thursday.

“All have tested negative in the second test conducted yesterday, the results of which came this morning. All athletes at the SAI campus across the country are being tested on a weekly basis,” a SAI source told PTI.

A total of 16 tests were conducted on Friday, which included two steeplechase athletes, two male race walkers, a male middle and long distance runner, two female middle and long distance athletes, four para athletes, besides a para coach and an NCOE athlete.

Others to test negative are two SAI resident staff and one housekeeping worker.

On Thursday, it came to light that four male and one female athlete, besides four support staff, had tested…

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