India's top athletes confident of normalcy being restored sooner or later as world battles COVID-19 pandemic; big sporting events in total disarray
Bajrang Punia, Sachin Tendulkar, Bhaichung Bhutia and Mahesh Bhupathi
Bajrang Punia, World silver-medallist wrestler
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Wrestling is a contact sport. When wrestling will resume, there is no way you can avoid physical contact. But I don't think there would be any hesitation. I don't see any change happening.
Sachin Tendulkar, cricket legend
Players will be wary for some time when it comes to using saliva [to shine the ball]. High fives and hugging your teammates will be avoided for some time. They will be conscious to begin with and may maintain social distancing.
Vijender Singh, India's only male boxer to win an Olympic medal
Athletes will be more cautious. Certainly, training abroad won't be all that easy. Less tournaments will happen and whenever they happen, I am not sure what the participation would be like.
Joshna Chinappa, Top squash player
I think I will have to be extra careful on flights as those are the main transporters of germs around the world. My first instinct after the game is to shake hands with the opponent but now things might change there also.
Bhaichung Bhutia, Former India football captain
Sports events will gradually come back to what they were before and can be held behind closed doors for now. Till the time a vaccine is out, I don't think they can have people inside as it involves a lot of risk.
Mahesh Bhupathi, Multiple-time Grand Slam winning former tennis player
Sport won't change. Things will be normal once COVID-19 goes away.
Abhinav Bindra, India's only individual Olympic gold-medallist
The post-COVID-19 world could be a blessing in disguise for India. There may not be so much foreign exposure and this may allow India to build proper sporting infrastructure.
MC Mary Kom, Six-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist
Once a vaccine is developed, things can go back to how they were before but until then, travelling will be less frequent, training will not exactly be a team thing and tournaments, I don't know how they will resume.
Text:PTI
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