MANILA, Philippines – In a mission to continue riding on the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games overall championship high, 7 national sports associations (NSA) met to come up with plans on how to resume sports events. 

“The prolonged lack of training and practice sessions and actual competitions would take their toll on the competitive edge of athletes to the detriment of the national interest. The almost total absence of competition would in turn undermine the momentum created by our success in the 2019 SEAGAMES which the country dominated,” said Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Juico who led the meeting on Friday, May 29. 

“In addition, the livelihood benefits of athletes and teams’ support staff of sports like basketball, volleyball and football, which have substantial fan and sponsorship bases have been, in many instances drastically reduced.” 

As the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) canceled all its scheduled events in 2020 and emphasized the return of sports events only when a vaccine is available, the NSAs took the initiative to formulate their health and safety protocols in this pandemic. 

Each sports federation shared their plans for resuming training and competition in order for the group to flesh out the proposal to the national inter-agency task force (IATF) through the PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and  Games and Amusement Board (GAB). 

Juico hopes that regular competitions can resume by September. 

Juico was joined by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Sonny Barrios, Philippine Football Federation (PFF) president Nonong Araneta, Philippine Rugby Football Union (PRFU) secretary-general and general manager Ada Milby and Jake Letts, Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas (LVPI) secretary-general Ariel Paredes, Karate Pilipinas Inc (KPI) president Richard Lim and Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) president Cynthia Carrion. 

In their first meeting, the group agreed to submit a proposal that features a phased and calibrated approach. 

The teams of each NSA should be allowed to practice for one month with a plan, previously approved by the supervising agency, that would continue monitoring the sport. 

If the NSA or team yields positive results from faithfully following health and safety protocols, it will be allowed to continue to practice for a month or two prior to IATF-approved regular competition.

FIBA released guidelines for its member countries including the SBP, while the PFF is looking hopeful as leagues in Vietnam and Thailand are in full swing despite the absence of a coronavirus vaccine or treatment. – Rappler.com