New Delhi, May 6 (IANS): The Olympic Games-bound Indian shooting squad, including the coaching staff, received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday, said a coach associated with the national team.
Fifteen shooters, including two in shotgun (skeet), have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to begin on July 23, from the 2019 Olympic qualification cycle.
"Some of the shooters like Sanjeev Rajput, Manu Bhaker and Anjum Moudgil had already got their first shot of vaccines last week. The other shooters and members of the coaching staff who had not were vaccinated on Thursday to ensure good health and minimise the risk of contracting the virus," a coach told IANS.
All 13 rifle and pistol shooters will practice in Zagreb to prepare for the Olympics while skeet shooter Angadvir Singh Bajwa is currently training in Italy. Miaraj Ahmad Khan, the other skeet shooter to have qualified for Olympics, had some family issue and couldn't go to Italy.
Rahi Sarnobat, Ahbishek Verma, Saurabh Chaudhary, Tejaswini Satwant and Divyansh Panwar are other prominent shooters who have booked Olympic berths.
All the shooters, except rifle shooter Apurvi Chandela, are in New Delhi and will leave for Europe on May 11 by a charter flight.
"Apurvi has tested positive for Covid-19 and is in home quarantine in Rajasthan. The National Rifle Association of India will conduct Covid-19 tests on the shooting squad on Sunday. Shooters whose reports will be negative will leave for Croatia," said the coach.
The Indian team will also compete in the European Shooting Championships in Croatia starting on May 21.