UAAP mulls opening Season 83 early next year

MANILA, Philippines – Nothing is cast in stone yet but the UAAP is leaning towards the first quarter of 2021 as the target opening date its 83rd Season shelved by the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With the league making all options available, UAAP executive director Atty. Rebo Saguisag said that the early next year opener for Season 83 is just one of the routes they may take depending on a series and detailed meetings on schedule for the Board of Managing Directors (BMD).

“Nothing is official yet. The situation remains very fluid and the managing directors are working hard to prepare for all scenarios. Opening in the 2021 first quarter is only one of the many options being considered,” Saguisag on Thursday told The STAR.

The UAAP has the month of September as its traditional season opener, which is proving to be a long-shot as of the moment due to the still uncertain end of the lethal coronavirus crisis.

Those uncertainties root from the strict and clear directives from government and health authorities like the prohibiting of mass gatherings, the “no vaccine, no sports” policy of the Philippine Sports Commission and class opening advisories by the Department of Education and Commission on Higher Education — all of which would be the deciding factors for the UAAP.

As a collegiate league, green light from the education sector is also a must for the UAAP unlike other sports leagues in the country only waiting for the go-signal from health authorities. 

But that would not end there, according to Saguisag, as the verdict would also be on the hands of each UAAP member school.

“Even if conditions above ease up, member schools are in loco parentis (have a special parental authority and responsibility) over each student, including the student-athletes,” he added, explaining the prudence and cautiousness in UAAP's approach.

“Again, nothing is final as the goalposts keep shifting. Everything is on the table and the BMD is tasked to come up with recommendations, which will be presented to the Board of Trustees, which has the final say.”

While all of these plans will be up for discussion in a BMD convention at the end of the month, Saguisag however emphasized that a final judgment could still not be available by then given the constant changes of the crisis.

Also expected to be tackled is how the UAAP would address the problems left by the suspension of 82nd Season last April at the height of the community quarantine implementations.