New Delhi, June 29

Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom has decided to join the rest of India’s Olympics-bound boxing team in Italy for training to avoid the added restrictions on those travelling to Tokyo from India amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mary Kom will take off for Assisi in a day or two to join the eight other Olympics-bound boxers, who are set to leave for Tokyo from there itself. The London Olympics bronze-medallist was training at Pune’s Army Sports Institute so far for the Games, which start on July 23.

“I have changed my plans. I have returned to Delhi and will leave for Italy may be tomorrow or day after. There are stricter quarantine restrictions on those who are travelling from India. I want to avoid them,” the 38-year-old Mary Kom said. “After training so hard for so long, no point in taking such a risk as a hard quarantine can break the rhythm.”

She would be accompanied by her personal coach Chhote Lal Yadav and a physio.

The Indian athletes and officials have been asked by the Japanese government to undergo daily Covid-19 tests for a week prior to their departure for Tokyo and not interact with anyone from another country for three days upon arrival in Japan.

However, the stricter rules — which have been framed for 10 countries apart from India — will not apply on those who land in Tokyo from training bases like Italy.

The Indian boxing contingent, which went to Assisi early this month, was earlier expected to return to India on July 10 and then leave for Tokyo a week before the start of the Games. — PTI