Go prioritizes athletes’ safety
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go urged the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to chart guidelines that would pave the way for the qualification of national athletes in the Tokyo Olympics amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Go, the chairman of the Senate Sports Committee, said there must be a clear roadmap on how elite athletes would qualify in the Summer Games without risking their health and safety.
EJ Obiena of athletics, Carlos Yulo of gymnastics and Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno of boxing have already made it to the Olympics while other outstanding athletes like Hidilyn Diaz, Yuka Saso, Kiyomi Watanabe and Kristina Knott and Eric Shaw Cray are still going through qualifying tournaments.
Go said top sports officials should bear in mind that the Olympics is just a year away and they need to boost the athletes with adequate training and support in a safe and healthy environment.
“While we continue to fight this pandemic, our athletes are also preparing for the Olympics,” Go said, adding that the PSC and the POC should come up with a safe and healthy training environment for the athletes, especially those headed for the Olympics.
“We should balance it. It is their jobs that are on the line. Most of these athletes make a living out of competing using their talent in the field of sports.”
Go said that he already reached out to PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez and POC president Abraham Tolentino, who both agreed to act on the matter.
He said both bodies committed to sit down and work on the necessary guidelines soon to allow the athletes to safety resume their training and use the available sports facilities in their respective sports events.
“A lot of our athletes have yet to train for the past three months. The PSC and the POC should plan how they can train for their upcoming competitions without risking their health and safety due to the outbreak of the pandemic,” Go, also the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, added.