Olympic, SEAG athletes to get vaccinated Friday

MANILA, Philippines – National team members competing in the Tokyo Olympics in July and Hanoi Southeast Asian Games in November will start to get their jabs on Friday at the Manila Prince Hotel.

“Approved na vaccination day, exclusive for SEA Games and Olympic-bound delegates Friday maghapon,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino during yesterday’s online Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.

“Thanks to the national government, we expect maybe less than a thousand to get their jabs,” he added.

After host Vietnam announced a “no vaccine, no play” policy a week ago, the government was quick to act Saturday by including Team Pilipinas members to the A4 priority list, which includes essential workers, frontliner government employees and uniformed personnel.

The Tagaytay congressman and PhilCycling chief said the inoculation, which is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open to national athletes, coaches, officials and delegates including members of the Para team headed by Paralympic-bound swimmer Ernie Gawilan.

No less than Department of Health secretary Francisco Duque III and national COVID-19 vaccine czar Sec. Carlito Galves, Jr. and testing czar Vince Dizon are attending the vaccination.

“They could coordinate with POC para mabigay yung total number of persons na dadating. Sana lahat mabakunahan na,” he said.

Tolentino said there would be another batch since some have yet to identify their SEA Games team and are in the provinces or outside the country.

The country, which had submitted 626 athletes in last March’s deadline of list of entry by number, is racing against time since the submission of entry by names could be set late August or early September.