It was set to be one of the biggest days of her young career but Vinesh Phogat has suffered a setback after announcing that she has tested positive for coronavirus.
The Asian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist is one of the 5 sportspersons slated to be awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award on Saturday but she is now expected to miss the virtual ceremony.
Vinesh was tested by the Indian government as per protocol ahead of the event.
The annual ceremony, which is staged at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Dhyan Chand's birth anniversary on 29 August, will be held via video conference this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Ram Nath Kovind will be connected via a National Informatics Centre (NIC) link from Rashtrapati Bhavan while the recipients will be present at Sports Authority of India (SAI) and NIC centres in various locations across the country, the Sports Ministry said in a statement.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju would be present at the Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital for the award ceremony.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)