Dengue worry in SA Games camp
Anxiety over dengue fever is increasing at the ongoing camp for the South Asian (SA) Games, with officials from different national federations expressing their concern after five female athletes contacted the fever, said a Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) official yesterday.
The BOA training committee sat with general secretaries of 23 disciplines to get information and updates regarding the ongoing training camp where they also discussed issues they need to fix for the betterment of the camp.
“After discussion with the general secretaries of 23 federations, we have decided to keep the training camp closed for five days during the Eid-ul-Adha, but the athletes will not be allowed to go home unless it’s a serious family issue,” BOA’s training committee member secretary AK Sarker said. “The number of athletes attending the training camp will be trimmed by September 15 on the basis of how many events we will be participating.”
Some 666 athletes including 331 female ones from 23 disciplines are residing at 15 different places --Tongi stadium, BKSP, Imperial hotel, NSC dormitory, women’s complex, boxing stadium, Gopalganj, Mirpur Palli-1 &2, handball stadium, army stadium, physical college in Mohammadpur, shooting federation, mess alfa squash court in cantonment, Tajuddin indoor stadium and Ansar academy in shafipur. The athletes will have training until the start of the SA Games, which is scheduled for December 1 to 10 in Nepal.
“The issue of dengue was discussed at the meeting where the officials expressed their concern over the dengue situation in Dhaka. So far five female athletes -- two each from kabaddi and kho kho and one from basketball -- have contacted the fever, all of whom were staying at the Sultana Kamal Women’s Sports Complex in Dhanmondi,” Sarker said. “We have been distributing mosque nets among the athletes and suggested the federations to keep the venues clean and continue taking measures to combat the fever.”
Sarkar also informed that they have already requested both city corporations of Dhaka to take measures in the camp areas.
“Our [BOA] secretary general Syed Shahed Reza talked to both mayors and requested them for continuous measures through spraying mosquito repellents in the areas where athletes are residing,” said Sarker.
BOA medical committee member secretary Dr Shafiqur Rahman, however, said only two athletes have been diagnosed with dengue fever. Kabaddi player Bristy Biswas has been admitted at the Police Hospital while basketball player Habiba Akter Bristy needed no admission at hospital.
Replying to a query, Rahman said the players from Kho kho caught the fever on Monday and their diagnosis reports were yet to come.
Rahman also informed that they have appointed two doctors at each area and they are making the athletes aware of the fever and instructing them to report as soon as anyone catches the fever.
Handball Federation’s general secretary Asaduzzaman Kohinoor said that they are also taking measures in their camp by cleaning the rooms and spraying mosquito repellents.
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