IATF gives go signal to Olympic training

The government has allowed national athletes to continue their “bubble” training for the upcoming Olympics but must strictly follow health and safety precautions to prevent any coronavirus transmission.

In a latest resolution, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) particularly wanted the athletes to reduce interaction with persons outside the training bubble as part of the precaution against the outbreak.

The continued training of the Olympic hopefuls in Calamba, Laguna was among the recommendations approved by the IATF during a meeting via video conference Thursday, April 15. The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed for a year due to conWith cerns arising from the coronavirus pandemic. The global sporting event will open on July 23, 2021 instead. Under Resolution No. 110, the task force approved “the continuation of the training of the national athletes at the Olympic Training Bubble in the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna” as endorsed by the Philippine Sports Commission. But there must be “heightened compliance with the Prevent-DetectIsolate-Treat-Reintegrate Strategies, particularly on the limited interactions with persons outside of the training bubble,” according to the IATF. The IATF first allowed national athletes to resume training for the Tokyo Olympics under a bubble-type setting last December. A bubble camp refers to an isolated place where the athletes are expected to live and train under health and safety protocols.