Karate Pilipinas just waiting for PSC OK to return to training

MANILA, Philippines — Olympic hopefuls from Karate Pilipinas, the sport’s federation in the country, have already been cleared to return to training by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) after the joint administrative order (JAO) was released Monday.

But they won’t be able to work out just yet without the green light from the Philippine Sports Commission.

Still, Karate Pilipinas president Richard Lim said the go-signal from the IATF is a welcome development to their athletes who are aiming to qualify for next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

“For us, that’s good enough. That’s a start. It’s better than nothing,” Lim said during the PSA Forum on Tuesday.

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic, members of the Philippine karate team have been training on their own to keep themselves in the best shape possible amid the lockdown.

To help their athletes cope with the changes, Lim said coaches made a training program while online trainings via Zoom are also being held weekly.

“The team is doing good,” he said. “But given [the situation], the JAO released yesterday is positive news for everybody.”

It remains unclear, however, when the national karate team will be able to resume its physical workouts with its training facility among those being used as a quarantine center for the coronavirus pandemic.

“We still have to wait for the go-signal of the PSC, because I think they still have to clean the area of the Ultra. I think we’ll be assigned there to train.”