GAB promises even more bubble events next year

By next year, more participants will likely be permitted to enter a bubble in professional sports competitions sanctioned by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

GAB Chair Abraham Mitra bared on Tuesday that the proposed supplemental guidelines for the joint administrative order (JAO) for sports include increasing the volume of essential people in a tournament bubble without sacrificing their wellness.

“In the supplemental JAO, we are looking at increasing the number of participants per sport, but we still maintain that no audience will be allowed at the venue,’’ Mitra said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

The GAB chief recently met with representatives from the Department of Health and the Philippine Sports Commission, the three government agencies that crafted the JAO, to tackle additional rules governing professional sports.

The JAO served as the authority that guided the just-concluded PBA Philippine Cup, the Philippine Football League and the Chooks-to-go Pilipinas 3×3 tournaments.

The Premiere Volleyball League is scheduled to open shop early next year as well as the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines, the country’s first chess pro league, and a number of boxing and mixed martial arts tournaments under the GAB’s supervision. INQ