Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 3) — The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is moving closer to sending its players back on the court.
On Wednesday, the league drafted a formal letter to the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and Department of Health seeking approval for the resumption of practices of its 12 member teams.
Chairman Ricky Vargas and the board of governors unanimously endorsed the guidelines designed by Commissioner Willie Marcial during a face-to-face meeting at the PBA office, their first since the lockdown was imposed in March.
“Ibibigay na namin tomorrow yung letter sa DOH at sa IATF. Gaya ng sinabi ni chairman [Ricky Vargas], marami namang tumutulong para ma-follow-up yung ating protocols kaya sana naman makapag-practice na tayo by July,” said Marcial.
Under the proposal, the commissioner said the league is adopting measures which he described as much stricter as the ones to be implemented by the international basketball body FIBA.
Under the proposed measures, only up to four players at a time will be allowed to train in a venue that is exclusive to one team.
The players will be accompanied by one trainer and one health officer.
Practice facilities will follow hospital standards in disinfecting before and after use, with players prohibited from taking showers at the venue.
To maintain physical distancing, scrimmages will be prohibited and players shall perform only conditioning exercises such as shooting, jogging and stretching.
All players, coaches and staff must also undergo rapid and swab testing every ten days before they can return to practice.
The PBA has been on a break for almost three months now since its games were suspended last March 11 due to COVID-19. The league now feels they can’t remain dormant for much too long.
“Now is the right time to start practicing. Kung basketball player ka, hindi ka naman pwedeng mag work-from-home so part of your work is to play on the court and work out with your teammates as it is possible for you to do so in a controlled environment,” said Vargas.
“We assure the players that they will be safe and that proper testing will be done. For some teams, we were told that they are also testing the families of the players so we have to be sensitive about that too,” the league’s chairman added.
The fate of the league, however, remains uncertain as they await the government’s clearance on contact sports and mass gatherings.
The PBA previously announced that it will wait until August before deciding whether to resume or cancel the 45th season.
