Baguio and Cordillera athletes in the national pool will continue training as they await instructions from their respective National Sports Association and the Philippine Sports Commission as to when they start bubble training.
This after the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) announced Thursday that the Southeast Asian Games scheduled on November 21 until December 2 has been rescheduled to a later date.
“We are waiting for our NSA’s decision. Also the PSC,” said Estie Gay Liwanen of the Kurash National Team.
Liwanen said that the 10-team kurash team that includes four Baguio athletes are very much prepared to undergo the three month bubble training in time for the SEAG in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Aside from the UB alum Liwanen, the other Baguio athletes will go bubble training will include 2019 sambo bronze medalist Helen Aclopen, Charmea Quelino and former University of Santo Tomas judoko standout Russel Lorenzo, son of 1997 SEAG judo silver medalist Racquel Lorenzo.
Wushu sanshuo’s Divine Wally said that they will do their individual training until the Wushu Federation of the Philippines tell them to go bubble training.
“It is self training for us now and we are awaiting update from our NSA and the PSC,” echoed the former world champion, who like Liwanen won a gold in the 2019 SEAG in Manila.
POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino made the announcement last Thursday after the meeting of the SEAG federation to decide the fate of the biennial event in light of the surge in Covid-19 cases the past months.
“It’s (Vietnam SEAG) just postponed to a later date but it’s not cancelled. They want it to push through,” Tolentino said in a press conference held in Manila.
He added that the federation will also decide in 10 days when it will stage the SEAG which could be in the first half of 2022 and will not affect the 2023 SEAG that will be hosted by Cambodia.
Vietnam SEAG chef de mission and PSC commissioner Ramon Fernandez said they will observe whether to have the athletes continue with their training.
“We just have to find out what dates Vietnam will stage the SEA Games but we have to play it by ear at this point,” Fernandez said in a release.