POC to provide COVID-19 vaccine for PH national athletes

FILE PHOTO–Team Philippines’ send off for the Southeast Asian Games. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

The Philippine Olympic Committee sees multiple sources to procure the COVID-19 vaccine for the national athletes.

POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said priority would be given to athletes who would go through Olympic qualifying tournaments overseas and those who already punched their tickets to the Tokyo Olympics.

Outside of these Olympic hopefuls, Tolentino added athletes who will compete in the coming Asian Indoor and Martial Games in Thailand on May 21-30 might likewise receive the vaccine ahead of the others.

“We are not even talking about the funds needed to purchase the vaccine. Sponsors will come in and our athletes will be covered,’’ said Tolentino during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum on Tuesday.

The Cavite representative and newly elected PhilCycling head explained that the government is bound to procure the vaccine for the entire populace and the athletes would certainly be included in the pecking order.

“The PSC (Philippine Sports Commission) is capable of helping us get the vaccine for Olympic-bound athletes, the national government will provide that for us,’’ said Tolentino, confident that all athletes from the national pool would be inoculated from the dreaded virus.

“The POC can go out of its way to get the vaccine because even the private sector can make a purchase,’’ he added.

Over a thousand athletes from at least 50 sports comprise the national training pool, which will see action in several multi-sport tournaments this year, including the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam and Asian Youth Games in China both scheduled in November.