PSC to reopen facilities for national athletes on Jan. 10

PSC officials led by Chairman Butch Ramirez.

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--The Philippine team can enjoy training again at a Philippine Sports Commission-managed facility very soon as the said agency will be reopening its training venues by the new year.

In a statement on Tuesday, the PSC said that it will be reopening its facilities for the national athletes for training "not earlier than January 10, 2022" after the board approved the resolution.

"This resumption is dependent on the provision of many considerations for safety before final implementation," the PSC further stated.

The PSC is currently operating the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex here, the PhilSports Complex in Pasig, and the Baguio Training Camp.

"On-going coordination with the MPA-IATF in Philsports, Pasig, and the Baguio City local government unit is being done to ensure that all safety measures are taken for the protection of our national team members," the PSC further said.

As the PSC prepares for its facility reopening, renovations in the athletes' dormitories are ongoing after its engineering team discovered damages due to stormy weather.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the PSC has also set up some health and safety protocols for the resumption of training in its facilities.

"The board has also provisionally approved the health-safety guidelines developed by the PSI-MSAS to be implemented in all training areas, with the addition of and improvement on certain provisions. The guidelines are based on the PSS-GAB-DOH Joint Administrative Order No. 2020-0001," the PSC further said.

A technical working group has been formed for the implementation of the said protocols, which include the prerequisite that all the national athletes should be fully vaccinated already upon returning to training inside the PSC facilities.

It has also called on the national sports associations to submit their own COVID-19 protocols to further bolster the safety of the athletes amid the pandemic.

The development came ahead of a busy 2022 for the national team with the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games happening by that year.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno