UAAP, other tournaments now allowed under Alert Level 1

From from left to right: Tokyo Olympics Bronze Medalist Eumir Marcial, Silver Medalist Nesthy Petecio, Gold Medalist Hidylin Diaz, 1PACMAN Partylist Representative Deputy Speaker Mikee Romero, Silver Medalist Carlo Paalam, Atlanta Olympics Silver Medalist Onyok Velasco

MANILA, Philippines — The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Sunday announced placing 38 areas on Alert Level 1 from March 1-15 paving the way for a fresh start for sports facilities and the annual UAAP after being on hiatus for two years.

The UAAP has announced all eight member schools are participating in at least three events on March 26.

Aside from the relaxed travel restrictions under Alert Level 1, all establishments are permitted to operate, all persons are allowed to work, and all activities are allowed to be done at full on-site capacity, provided that health standards are observed.

Other cities like Pasig now also allows group exercises in open-air areas. Individual outdoor exercises are also allowed for all ages, regardless of vaccination status. Mayors from different cities said their residents can conduct contact sports, such as basketball, in various covered courts permitted by the barangay or the city government, as long as safety protocols are observed.

“It is also high time for athletes to train at sports facilities and use them to the fullest extent now that many areas in Manila have been placed under Alert Level 1,” Deputy Speaker and 1Pacman Partylist Rep. Michael Romero said.

“Moreover, this is a great moment to highlight some of the best sports facilities for the SEA Games such as the New Clark Stadium and the P3.5 billion sports complex in Bagac, Bataan that will offer training grounds for athletes playing the following sports such as archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, bowling, taekwondo, karate, judo, wrestling, cycling (velodrome), dancesport, football, gymnastics, handball, lawn tennis, sepak takraw, shooting, softball, squash, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, wall climbing water polo and weightlifting,” he added.

The 2022 international sports events are jampacked, and our chosen Filipino athletes are slated to compete this year. In 2021, it can be remembered that Romero handed out incentives to 2020 Tokyo Olympics medalists, and he also said they are prioritizing giving Philippine Sports Commission sufficient funding on their sports agenda in Congress.

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