FOUR national athletes—including two who are supposed to vie in a Tokyo Olympics qualifier in Thailand next month—tested positive of Covid-19.
The recent infection hiked to seven the number of reported virus infections among national athletes.
The four athletes were among those tested under the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) health and safety program. The PSC’s Medical Scientific Athletes Services are monitoring the infected athletes with two of them quarantined at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum healing facility.
The tests were done on Monday with 63 PSC personnel yielding positive results. BusinessMirror learned that 11 more PSC staff were infected by the virus, forcing the sports agency to lock down the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and PhilSports Complex in Pasig City for 10 days.
PSC Commissioner Ramon Fernandez, Team Philippines’s chef de mission to the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games, confirmed the reported infections and said the vaccination of athletes would be a main concern when PSC and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) officials meet on Thursday.
“All options are open in tomorrow’s meeting with POC officials,” Fernandez said.
POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino committed a $40,000 grant from the Olympic Council of Asia for the procurement of vaccines for members of the national team to the November 21 to December 19 SEA Games.
Ports tycoon Enrique Razon has also earlier vowed to provide Moderna vaccines for all members of Team Philippines to the Tokyo Olympics.
The vaccines, however, aren’t expected until the latter part of June or early July.
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