Concerned at the increasing number of athletes contracting COVID-19 at top training centres, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has asked the authorities to expedite the process to get the Olympic-bound athletes get vaccinated soon at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

Thirty sports persons and support staff across disciplines returned positive after 741 precautionary tests were conducted at the National Centres of Excellence in Patiala and Bengaluru on Wednesday last.

Even though the positive results in both the centres do not include any Tokyo Olympic-bound athlete, the IOA does not want to take chances as they are training at the same facilities.

“We are concerned at the athletes testing positive for COVID-19 though all the Olympic-bound athletes are safe. But we have to vaccinate them as soon as possible. We have written twice to Health Ministry in this regard but no headway till now,” IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta told.