MANILA, Philippines – Basketball and football will soon return as the government gave the go signal for the resumption of training for both sports.  

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made the announcement on Friday, July 3, in a media briefing after the Inter-Agency Task Force approved appeals from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) to allow their teams and clubs to practice again. 

The PBA and PFF both drafted their own set of protocols and submitted them to the IATF for evaluation and approval. 

“Practice and conditioning for basketball and football are now allowed in accordance to the requests of the PBA and other football organizations,” Roque said in Filipino. 

In its guidelines, the PBA will limit training sessions to just 6 people per batch, which includes 4 players, 1 trainer, and 1 safety officer.

Also, PBA players will undergo coronavirus testing thrice a month.

The PFF, meanwhile, patterned the protocols of its return-to-play plans for the Philippine Football League from international football leagues which have successfully restarted their seasons. – Rappler.com