NCAA mulling outright termination of Season 95 due to coronavirus

MANILA, Philippines – The NCAA Season 95 Management Committee (ManCom) announced on Monday, March 9, that all sporting activities are again postponed until further notice with the possibility of outright termination due to the novel coronavirus threat in the country.

“Due to the declaration of the Department of Health of Red Alert Sub-Level 1 and the guidance issued by the Department of Education that concerns gatherings or out-of-school activities, all NCAA activities are hereby suspended until further notice,” the ManCom said in a statement.

“The Policy Board is set to meet soon to discuss the possibility of postponing the games or canceling [altoggether] all games. The action of the NCAA is for the safety and welfare of the students, the athletes, the fans, and the officials.”

Right now, multiple tournaments in both juniors and seniors divisions are in limbo due to the league’s previous postponement effective last February 14.

Prior to the updated ruling, the Grand Old League was supposed to resume all activities on March 16.

Officials arrived at this new decision on Monday afternoon, through a meeting set at the Aloha Hotel in Manila by ManCom head Peter Cayco of Arellano University.

Aside from Peter Cayco, also at the meeting were ManCom members Fr Vic Calvo of Letran, Paul Supan of Jose Rizal University, Dax Castellano of St Benilde, Frank Gusi of Perpetual Help, Melchor Divina of Mapua, Hercules Callanta of Lyceum, and Estefanio Boquiron Jr of Emilio Aguinaldo College.

Unable to attend were Fr Glynn Ortega of San Sebastian College and Mari Lacson of San Beda University, but the two were represented by their respective junior ManCom officials. 

On Monday, the Department of Health revealed the number of coronavirus cases in the Philippines has jumped to 20, after 10 more people tested positive for the virus.

Aside from the NCAA, the UAAP has also been affected by the coronavirus outbreak, as it decided to hold its juniors basketball finals behind closed doors.

Palarong Pambasa, which was set to be hosted by Marikina City in May, has also been postponed. 

The global death toll due to the coronavirus has reached 3,819, with 3,119 of the fatalities in China. The number of cases worldwide has risen to 109,946, with 80,735 of the infections in China. The virus has spread to at least 99 countries.– Rappler.com