However, it will be safe to say that their spirit of serving the country, hasn’t died. Here is a list of Indian athletes who have been trying to do their best to make things easier for people during these tough times.  

1. Former cricketer Munaf Patel opened a COVID-19 center in his village Ikhar in Gujarat.

A prominent figure in his region, Munaf has also been associated with multiple projects undertaken by the local authorities to create awareness about precautions one must take to protect themselves from coronavirus.  

2. Footballer CK Vineeth joined a COVID-helpline in Kerala during the early months of the pandemic. He said he wanted to do whatever little he could.

In a report by The Hindu, he was quoted as saying, “After I came back here, I got a call from the Kerala Sports Council, asking whether I would like to help with the COVID-19 helpline, so I joined in”.

3. Former men’s hockey captain Viren Rasquinha helped players, and ground staff by raising funds for them during the lockdown.

On realising that a halt on sporting activities will leave people struggling, Rasquinha joined hands with Go Sports Foundation and helped over 200 people get through these tough times. 

4. Siblings Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan donated 4000 masks to help those in need. This was in the month of March when coronavirus had just started spreading across India.

5. Indian women’s hockey team raised over ₹20 lakhs through a fitness challenge on social media, which continued till May 3.

The players would post a new challenge each day and tag 10 people who were supposed to do it and make a donation. The team gave all the money to NGO Uday Foundation in Delhi.

6. Footballer Jeje Lalpekhlua donated blood for people in need during the lockdown. He was in Manipur at the time.

A report from DNA quoted him as saying, “Due to the lockdown, blood is not readily available nowadays. So the hospital connected with the Young Mizo Association (YMA) seeking help. The news reached me and I knew immediately what I needed to do”.

7. Footballer Bala Devi joined hands with NGO CRY (Child Rights and You) to help child labourers struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. 

She said that every child has the right to fulfill their dreams and get good education. 

8. Former cricketer Joginder Sharma performed his duties as the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) in Haryana, doing everything in his capacity to stop the virus from spreading in his region.

9. Diwakar Prasad, a boxer and an employee of the Indian Railways, did his job of keeping a track of the passengers, in case there is any need for contact tracing.

Speaking about the challenges of the job, he told The Times of India, “My four-and-a-half-year-old daughter finds it difficult to understand why she hasn’t met me for so long. My wife understands that duty has to come first”.

10. 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Akhil Kumar, who is now the assistant commissioner of police (traffic) made sure that the migrant workers trying to reach railway stations, found conveyance. 

A report from The Times of India, quoted him as saying, “The joy I feel when I help someone is similar to what I used to feel winning medals for my country”.

Champions, all of them.