ONE quick glance at how Philippine sports were played just over the weekend could compel one to surmise that Covid’s been beaten—if not, about to be beat.
Six leagues played at least two games each Saturday and Sunday—the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) on both days, and so did the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Add the Premier Volleyball League (PVL), Super League Preseason tournament and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) that’s been making the rounds of the provinces for months now.
Noli Eala, chairman for two months now of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), hit the jampacked weekend program right on the head.
“There are so many sports leagues going on at the same time this weekend. PBA, UAAP, NCAA, PVL, Super League and MPBL. Venues are hard to find,” Eala said on Tweeter.
Let’s dismiss notions that Eala, a former commissioner of the PBA and sports broadcaster, saw the heavy weekend sports activities as a glass half-empty of water when he added on Twitter: “Consequently fans are dispersed and ad money divided. Wish there was more coordination among leagues for better scheduling.”
Looking at the glass as half full, that heavy weekend schedule could warrant as proof that the pandemic’s waned and sports have been making gigantic steps toward full recovery from months of struggle that coined “bubble” as a remedy to keep sports going amid the deaths and suffering wrought by Covid-19.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the overseer of elite sports program in the country, has also shrugged off the complications that weighed down on national teams and athletes.
“We have a very busy calendar next year and as early as now, preparations are in high gear,” said Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, whose concerns on health and safety protocols as president of the POC revolves around International Olympic Committee- and international federation-certified health and safety protocols.
SPORTS FACILITIES’ DOORS WIDE OPEN FOR NATIONAL ATHLETES
FOR more than two years, major sports facilities supervised by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) were put under the control of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The AFP set up camp at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila, where the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium were utilized as quarantine facilities.
Over in Pasig City, no one could get past a phalanx of PNP personnel who’s manning the PhilSports Arena and part of the dormitories that were similarly used to quarantine Covid-19 patients and returning Filipinos from abroad.
Two weeks ago, the barbed wires and sand bags, so to speak, were torn down.
“It’s full steam ahead,” said PSC chairman Noli Eala as he guaranteed that the agency would deliver services to the national teams and grassroots partners by opening these facilities for training and competitions.
“We’re excited to see the national athletes back in training in these facilities,” he said.
Repairs and rehabilitation were undertaken on both complexes and national athletes have taken turns in returning to barracks as they gear up for at least five major international competitions in 2023.
The Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, in fact, hosted the Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship last July and the Rizal Memorial Coliseum is catering to preseason volleyball matches. The PhilSports Arena, which like its Malate counterparts were spruced up for the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, is serving venue to the PBA and UAAP—the Asian Volleyball Confederation Women’s Cup was played there in August with fans showing up to almost full capacity.
In June, Quezon City also hosted at the Smart Araneta Coliseum a men and women leg of the Volleyball Nations League, a top-tier tournament featuring the top 16 teams in the world.
Still, Eala assured everyone that health and safety protocols remain a priority.
“It’s vital that we remain vigilant and protected against Covid-19,” said Eala, during a booster vaccination activity for national athletes and coaches two weeks ago at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. “Our athletes, coaches, and employees who serve them need to be secured, protected and cared for as we begin transition and the return of our sports activities and events.”
FILIPINO ATHLETES FACE CHALLENGES OF BUSY 2023 SCHEDULE
WITH protocols down to bare levels, it’s also all systems go for Filipino athletes competing abroad.
“Our athletes have to continually train and stay in shape…. Next year’s a packed calendar for all of them,” POC president Tolentino said.
The SEA Games are going to Cambodia for their 32nd edition in May, and to China in Huangzhou for the 19th Asian Games in September. The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games are in Bangkok and Chonburi in November and the World Beach Games in Bali in August.
At home, the Philippine Sports Commission’s reviving the Batang Pinoy National Finals this December in Ilocos Sur and next year, hosting is up for grabs as the Department of Education is also bent on pushing through with the Palarong Pambansa.
The Commission on Higher Education’s joining the fun with the revival of its National Tertiary Games next summer at a still-to-be-determined venue.
And still at home, the country would be the primary host in August-October of one of the most prestigious global sporting events, the FIBA 2023 World Cup that features the top 32 teams with the Philippines hosting 16 teams and at least 20 matches, including the knockout stages, semifinals and finals at the MOA Arena, Smart Araneta Coliseum and the Philippine Arena.
‘BUBBLE’ A STRUGGLE, COSTLY FOR LEAGUES AND ORGANIZERS, TOO
THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is believed to have spent P80 million to hold just one conference—Philippine Cup—in a “bubble” environment in Clark, Pampanga, in late 2020. The tournament lasted a little more than two months.
The same “bubble” setup was utilized for its two-conference 2021 season and one could just imagine the losses in revenues from gate receipts, not to mention daily tests and disinfection of facilities.
“I won’t say exactly but I guarantee you, it was very, very expensive,” PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said.
Several other sports held their own “bubble” tournaments, all costly. Ormoc City had its fencing nationals and cycling was lucky enough to be encouraged during the pandemic and staged a two-day national trials in July last year in Clark—but that came with a cost as race officials and participants had to undergo RT-PCR test each day of the competitions and officials were quartered in one hotel.
The school leagues—University Athletic Association of the Philippines and National Collegiate Athletic Association—were as hostaged by the virus and went virtual with their competitions—no face-to-face, no contact sports.
Volleyball had its own bubble in Subic, Pagudpud and Lipa City but officials of the national federation are hoping and praying that never again should Covid control the community.
“It was one expensive experience, to hold bubbles, what with all the cost of quarantined hotel accommodation and regular tests,” volleyball federation president Ramon “Tats” Suzara said.
QUARANTINE DOWN TO ONLY THREE DAYS BRINGS BIG RELIEF
THE Tokyo Olympics in July-August 2021 had the entire world watching. It was one big and expensive guinea pig for an absolute “bubble” environment where close to 10,000 athletes and officials converged for more than two weeks.
Only 400 infections were recorded but almost all of them were local infections and none of the 19 Filipino athlete who competed—including gold medalist weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz Naranjo—caught the virus.
In Tokyo, once infected you’re out, and it takes 10 days to quarantine. You enter Japan and you’re confined to your rooms for three days. Filipino athletes, officials and journalists also had to be quarantined 10 days before getting their freedom.
Now? It only takes three days to quarantine or self-quarantine. At the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam last May, the protocols were more relaxed and a three-day quarantine for those who showed symptoms of Covid was imposed.
Luckily, no one from Team Philippines got infected and the country finished a fighting fourth.
“The protocols are softer now and that’s good for all athletes and coaches,” said Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who as president of the Philippine Olympic Committee adheres to health and safety protocols certified by the International Olympic Committee and international federations.
SILVER LINING APPEARS IN GOLDEN HORIZON FOR PHILIPPINE SPORTS
FILIPINO athletes have endured —and prevailed—during the pandemic. Many of them were frontliners, too, being members of the military establishment.
Instead of their dri-fit jerseys and shorts, they donned their military outfits’ combat uniforms as they manned outposts and checkpoints to guarantee protocols are imposed.
“It’s been one struggle for me, but I know in my heart that as a member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, I have this duty to contribute to my country—may it be in my sport or in any task that I’m assigned to,” said Jermyn Prado, a Navy personnel who won gold in individual time trial and silver in road in the cycling competitions of the 2019 SEA Games in Tagaytay City.
Prado was only one of hundreds of athlete frontliners who looked forward to return to normalcy so they could go back to the field, gym and in her case, road, to resume training as national athletes.
“It’s the Filipino heart and determination that we saw in our athletes,” POC President Tolentino said. “Our athletes persevered, they trained at home, in their rooms, garage or wherever they could sweat out and stay in shape.”
“Now with Covid waning, it’s almost back to normalcy and our athletes are back to the same mind set and determination to go for that gold medal,” Tolentino added.