IT’S just right. Stop all activities, including training and other similar workouts, of our athletes.
It’d be out of tune, if not downright foolish, if sports is allowed to proceed while the entire metropolis and its four adjoining provinces (Rizal, Bulacan, Cavite and Pampanga) are practically at a standstill.
Hardest hit are those bottled up at Inspire in Calamba, Laguna. Among those plucked out of the “Calambubble” are national team athletes training for the November 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi and our Gilas Team preparing for the June qualifiers to the Fiba Asia Cup and the Olympic Games.
The directives jointly came from the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the pro and amateur bodies, respectively, supervising sports in the country.
“As always, we will remain supportive of the decision coming from the PSC and we will also strictly follow the precautionary measures from the Department of Health and the IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force] for the management of emerging infectious diseases,” said Al Panlilio, the president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) overseeing the Gilas Pilipinas team.
Attaboy, Al.
For his part, Commissioner Willie Marcial of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is now contemplating on postponing the PBA’s 46th season opening on April 18 “in abeyance to the government’s call for more caution against the pandemic.”
Attaboy, Willie.
As I was saying, the Covid-19 scourge is no joke since it became a pandemic almost one year ago this month.
As a result of the virus’ rapacious rampage, millions have already died worldwide—with world sports getting virtually crippled in 2020.
The Masters in Augusta, Georgia, the traditional kickoff of the four majors in golf, was transferred from April to November 2020—a first since its birth in 1937.
But the British Open, the most revered, oldest golf major, got scrapped in July 2020.
In tennis, annually staging four majors, too, like golf, bundled out was Wimbledon, the sports’ much-awaited yearly grass event. It marked the first time since World War II that this oldest tennis Slam got stricken off the calendar.
And the biggest global casualty of all last year was the Tokyo Olympics, which was scuttled in July.
Moved to July 2021, the Olympiad is still struggling to meet all the requirements for its planned opening barely five months from now.
A happy note, though, is the torch relay involving more than 10,000 Japanese runners has been kicked off last week in Fukushima, the tragic scene of the earthquake-caused tsunami and nuclear meltdown in 2011 that killed more than 18,000, including hundreds more missing believed swept into the sea.
The torch is expected to arrive in Tokyo in time for the Olympic opening on July 23.
May God give grace to mankind’s most celebrated sporting event.
THAT’S IT Congratulations to Yuka Saso for being chosen “Athlete of the Year” by the Philippine Sportswriters Association for her 2020 golf exploits that saw her win two major tournaments in Japan…. Happy birthday to Peugeot’s Glen Dasig. Birthday greetings also to Ted Failon, now with DJ Cha Cha as hosts of TV5’s radio-TV program from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday to Friday. Cheers!
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