Country's top weightlifters, including former world champion Mirabai Chanu, on Monday requested Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju to allow resumption of training at the earliest, insisting that their practice hall is big enough to ensure social distancing.

Training has been suspended across Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres since mid-March to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Rijiju interacted with the weightlifters, who are currently stationed at the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, in a video conference, seeking their feedback on resumption of training. "We all requested him to resume training as soon as possible because we need weight training. We have been working out but weight training is necessary for us," said Mirabai.