IATF verdict on sports up soon

MANILA, Philippines  — The PBA and other professional sports events will know soon enough whether the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) will act favorably on their request for restart.

Yesterday, the Games and Amusements Board (GAB)batted for the pro leagues’ resumption under strict health and safety protocols before the IATF’s Technical Working Group.

“We just concluded our presentation to the Technical Working Group, and they will meet to discuss among themselves what to recommend to IATF,” GAB chairman Baham Mitra told The STAR.

It was GAB’s followup to its initial presentation before the IATF leadership last June 10.

Mitra said part of their presentation were the safety protocols for boxing, basketball and football, including the proposed guidelines prepared by the PBA and the Philippine Football Federation.

The PBA is hoping to hold non-scrimmage, per-batch training sessions featuring only four players, one health officer, and one trainer prior to reopening the games later on, if the conditions permit.

It’s still not possible at the moment with the NCR under general community quarantine (GCQ), but the pro league is maintaining an optimistic mindset.

“We would like to really think positively about being able to come back,” PBA board chairman Ricky Vargas said during Tuesday’s PSA Forum.

“The more positive note is the statement of GAB that it is also working to see pro sports begin,” he added.

The GAB, the government’s regulatory body for pro sports, has submitted a 56-page document to the IATF detailing how to reopen sporting events in the new normal.