No hand shakes, change of court for PVL Open conference

MANILA, Philippines—The Premier Volleyball League will have a vastly different setup when it returns for the Open Conference this weekend.

Gone are the handshakes and changing of sides between sets so as to limit physical contact between players and coaches during matches.

“Once the game starts, there will be no change court,” said PVL Commissioner Tony Boy Liao in Filipino. “There will also be no handshakes before matches.”

The PVL will hold its first professional season amid the COVID-19 pandemic inside a bubble environment in Ilocos Norte.

Liao added that both teams will still be given 30 minutes to warm up before their match but players have to wear their face masks during their drills.

Head coaches, referees, and players inside the court are then allowed to take off their face masks during the games but they can still wear their protective covers if they do so desire.

The substitute players on the bench, though, are still required to wear their masks.

PVL President Ricky Palou said that the courts will be disinfected after every match for 30 minutes to ensure that teams will enter the playing venue as safely as possible.

The PVL will start their 2021 season on Saturday with three matches at 1 pm, 3 pm, and 7 pm.

Palou said that the long gaps between matches were put in place to allow the cleaning crew ample time to disinfect the arena.

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TAGS: COVID-19, PVL, Ricky Palou, Tony Boy Liao