UAAP cancels high school tourneys, says it will reboot collegiate tournaments once it is safe to resume them

The UAAP is still nursing hope it can resume its volleyball tournament, where Jho Maraguinot and the Ateneo lady Eagles are the defending women’s champions. —SHERWIN VARDELEON

The UAAP volleyball tournament still has a chance of resuming its competition but it will have to get creative in coming up with a different system following the decision of the league to terminate “regular formats” of collegiate events on Saturday.

A memorandum signed by UAAP president Em Fernandez and the league’s executive director, lawyer Rebo Saguisag, also announced the cancellation of all high school tournaments. The memo was released at the heels of the quarantine imposed on Metro Manila due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The high school cancellations meant that Adamson and University of Santo Tomas will now share the girls’ basketball trophy after both schools battled to a 1-1 deadlock in the finals.

But of utmost concern is the league’s college volleyball tournament, which is one of the cash cows of the UAAP.

The memo stated that the board will revisit the cancellations if the national government declares that classes are safe to resume on April 15 and the ban on mass gatherings is lifted.

But even under the most favorable conditions, the volleyball tournament can no longer proceed as it should, with the league saying it will come up with an acceptable alternative playing format for the tournament, which would resume no later than May 1.

“We will continue to coordinate with lead government agencies to determine protocols for the safety of everyone in or connected the with UAAP community,” the league said in a statement.

“The UAAP intends to do the greater good for the greater number, without disregarding the hard work of its coaches and student-athletes. We thank you for your patience and understanding in this most trying of times.”