Manila, Philippines, July 7, 2020: Top officials of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will go into online discussion on Wednesday to tackle the resumption of training for Tokyo-bound athletes and other Olympic hopefuls.
POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino told the Philippine Star on Monday that the officials would discuss the situation.
PSC officer-in-charge Ramon Fernandez is optimistic that the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) will soon allow the return to full training of the likes of boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno, who have both booked a spot to Tokyo, and other national athletes with realistic chances of making the Olympic cut.
The meeting will focus on the protocols to be observed and the potential venues they will use for training.
“Of course, all must observe strict health protocols for everyone’s safety,” said Fernandez.
The Philippines’ other two Olympic qualifiers to date, gymnast Carlos ‘Caloy’ Yulo and pole-vaulter EJ Obiena, have already resumed their training in Japan and Italy, respectively.
Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist and 2018 Asian Games champion, has yet to qualify and is currently training in Kuala Lumpur.
Among those expected to be given training exceptions are female boxer Nesthy Petecio, Asian Games 2018 skateboard champion Margielyn Didal, taekwondo jin Pauline Lopez and karateka Junna Tsukii.
Source: https://www.philstar.com