PSC, DOH to form joint task force
Officials of the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of Health are combining forces in a joint task force that will monitor sports activities approved by the government amid the coronavirus.
Marc Velasco, PSC national training director, said yesterday that the agency is talking to counterparts in the health sector with regards to the rules on how to properly monitor sports events.
Part of the task force’s role is to submit an assessment report to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease or IATF if the activities are effective and not causing transmission of COVID-19.
“It’s still in the planning stage, but it’s going to be a joint task force between the Philippine Sports Commission and the Department of Health,” Velasco told the Manila Bulletin.
As the government moved to a more lenient General Community Quarantine (GCQ) last Monday, it also approved the start of several physical activities like running, biking, golf, swimming, tennis, badminton, equestrian and skateboarding.
More are expected to follow as various national sports associations have also submitted their proposals to the Philippine Sports Institute, a sector of the PSC which Velasco heads.
The proposals will be forwarded to the IATF for approval.
While the task force will monitor the sports activities, Velasco stressed the “policing power” to stop activities of a certain sport is not part of their mandate.
“What it can do is monitor, assess and then make a report or a recommendation to the IATF,” he said.
Velasco said that as the government maintains the lockdown level to GCQ, he expects several more sports activities to be permitted by the IATF, especially non-contact disciplines.
“But for now, competitions are not allowed, only training of athletes on sports approved by the IATF – either for leisure or if they are part of the national team,” said Velasco.