PBA, other pro leagues get going soon
Official IATF clearance now on hand, the PBA gets ready to roll with its gradual return, setting an Aug. 3 or 4 target date in starting the actual non-scrimmage practices that it hopes will lead to official games later on.
Commissioner Willie Marcial said now that the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) allowing limited practices has been released, the PBA will arrange for the swab testing of the teams before sending them back to the gyms.
“We’re thankful to the government for allowing us. Next step is to set up testing and after six or eight days, we’ll start practices,” Marcial told The STAR.
“I think we can start the practices by Aug. 3 or 4,” he added.
According to Marcial, the three San Miguel Corp. teams will undergo the mandatory tests at the SMC facility while the nine other squads will be swabbed at the Makati Medical Center.
Marcial also bared the pro league is pushing back by a month its crucial meeting on the fate of the disrupted Season 45. They are now looking at September instead of August as originally planned.
The much-awaited JAO was signed yesterday by Health Sec. Francisco Duque, Games and Amusements Board chairman Baham Mitra and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez.
Sharing the PBA’s excitement are the Philippines Football League clubs, which can finally do some training with renewed hopes of eventually kicking off the domestic league soon.
“We expect them to practice maybe for a month or two to be match-fit and hopefully when quarantine levels go down, they may be allowed to eventually play,” said Mitra.
He stressed the JAO contains a “penalty clause” and thus, fines and sanctions may be imposed for any willful violations of the order’s provisions.
The PSC is working to get a similar issuance approved for members of Team Philippines soon.
“Presently, the PSC is midway through online consultations with the different national sports associations (NSAs) to help them craft a guideline, this time for the return of training of the national team, specifically those who are gunning for, or have qualified for the Olympics,” the PSC said.