THE Philippine Superliga (PSL) would return to training as soon as the government lifts the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) that was enforced anew in Metro Manila and nearby cities on Tuesday.
PSL Chairman Dr. Philip Ella Juico said that the league formally received the green light to return to training through a memorandum from the Department of Health dated July 23.
In the letter, DOH Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago approved and made some recommendations on the health and safety guidelines submitted by the PSL the conduct of physical activities and sports during the pandemic.
The DOH said PSL teams’ practices would start under GCQ but only five players are allowed to train, along with a skeletal workforce of up to 10 persons. Noncontact sports would be limited only to strength training.
Juico welcomed the development saying the PSL would be the first women’s volleyball league to return to training.
“I am pleased to inform you that the health and safety protocols that we submitted to the Department of Health had been approved with some recommendations,” Juico said in a statement.
A former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission and currently the president of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, Juico said mandatory swab testing would no longer be needed because women’s volleyball is not as physical as professional basketball, football or boxing.
Pro basketball, football and boxing got a return-to-training approval through a Joint Administrative Order from the DOH, Games and Amusements Board and the Philippine Sports Commission.
Swab testing, Juico said, would be at the discretion of the teams. But they would be required to coordinate with the local government units where teams would conduct their trainings to ensure proper monitoring and compliance.