World Championship Medal Winning Boxer Lovlina Borgohain Tests Positive For Covid-19 Ahead Of European Tour

While two other boxers could not travel for other reasons, Olympic quota winner Lovlina missed it after contracting the virus, following a visit to her home town in Assam.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain in PPE kit. (File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: Two-time World Championship bronze medalist boxer and Olympic quota winner Lovlina Borgohain on Thursday tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, almost a day before she was about to board a flight to Italy along with the Indian contingent for a training-cum-competition trip. According to reports, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) had sanctioned a Europe tour for 16 elite Indian boxer, including Lovlina, for a period of 52 days from October to December. While two other boxers could not travel for other reasons, Olympic quota winner Lovlina missed it after contracting the virus, following a visit to her home town in Assam where she went to see her ailing mother. "She was tested upon her arrival from Assam on October 11, as per the protocol, and she tested negative in the initial test. However, upon being tested again on October 15, four days after her return from Assam, she tested positive," Sports Authority of India said in an official statement. Along with Lovlina testing positive for Covid-19, it is being said that celebrated boxer MC Mary Kom's absence due to illness and World championship bronze medallist Manish Kaushik's will also be missed in the tournament. The 23-year-old Lovlina has been in isolation since returning from Guwahati, as per SOP. She is being given requisite treatment and is under medical observation. In March earlier this year, Lovlina secured the Olympic berth in the 69 kg for India in the 2020 Asia & Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament which made her the first ever sportswoman from Assam to qualify for the Olympics. The Indian boxers will reach Assisi, Italy for training and will compete in two events in France (Alexis Vastine International Boxing Tournament, October 27-31) and Poland (Leszek Drogosz Memorial, November 2-7).