By Navneet Singh

New Delhi, Mar 30 (IANS): Five members of the Indian boxing squad, including three boxers, have tested positive for Covid-19 in Istanbul, Turkey, during an exposure tour this month and are stuck there.

They are now waiting for the result of a second Covid-19 test. They can return to India only if this test is negative. Those who had tested negative have returned to India.

Commonwealth Games champion Gaurav Solanki (57kg), Brijesh Yadav (81kg) and Duryodhan Negi (69kg) are among the five boxers who have been infected by coronavirus. Team coach Dharamender Yadav, the video analyst, and the physiotherapist are also Covid-19 positive.

"It has been a week since we tested positive for the virus. The local organising committee conducted the test. The second test will be done on Tuesday. If this test is negative, we can leave Istanbul, otherwise have to stay for another week," one of the boxers who is stuck there told IANS.

Boxing Federation of India (BFI) secretary general Hemanta Kumar Kalita declined to give details, saying he is too busy to provide information on the positive tests. "You can visit the BFI office in Gurgaon and get the details," was his curt response when IANS contacted him.

The boxers are upset as they have hardly benefited from the exposure tour. "We are going to miss training for four to five weeks, maybe more," said one of the boxers from Istanbul.

A 13-member Indian boxing team had gone on an exposure tour to Istanbul. However, evidently it has turned out to be an extremely depressing one for them.

In the week-long tournament that started on March 15, the Indian team won two bronze medals through Nikhat Zareen (51kg) and Gaurav Solanki (57kg).