Hockey resumes in Andhra Pradesh, India

Vizag, 05 November 2020: Hockey players in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh have resumed sports activities keeping in mind the detailed SOP and guidelines provided by Hockey India. The detailed SOPs and guidelines were shared with all the State Member Units as early as in April 2020 with the intent to be well prepared and ready for systematic rollout.

In Andhra Pradesh, while there are several restrictions due to the ongoing battle with the pandemic, about 48 players have returned to the field and have resumed limited sports activities. These players are mostly above the age group of 18 years are training towards the state championships which will be a trial for the Hockey India National Championships. 

The State Member Units got a general idea about the key aspects to keep in mind while resuming sports activities during an interactive session with Chief Coaches of the national teams and experienced national players; PR Sreejesh and Savita in September. The Chief Coaches and players spoke about their first-hand experience of how the National Camp coaches and players are following the set protocol at the Sports Authority of India campus in Bengaluru since restarting sports activities on 19 August 2020.

“We have been following all the protocols stated in the Hockey India SOPs and are ensuring our players have a safe environment to resume training. Only limited training has begun for a small group of players who are from the senior category and few are from junior groups. We are hopeful in the coming weeks, more players will return to the field as sports always gives a positive outlook to life in general and prepares children to face challenges of any kind,” stated Mr G Harsha Vardhan, General Secretary, Hockey Andhra Pradesh.