The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has submitted to the Department of Health its recommendation on the reintroduction of outdoor physical activities and sports during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The document, Filipino Fitness and Recreational Sport-reintroduction Tool or Filipino First, is a study made by the PSC’s Medical and Scientific Athlete Services sports science professionals, headed by Dr. Randy Molo.
“We know that sports and physical activities are still very important to strengthen one’s immune system during this COVID-19 health crisis.” said PSC Chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez.
The Filipino FIRST framework aims to set parameters on ‘how’ reintroduction of sports activity will occur in a cautious and methodical manner while optimizing athlete and community safety.
The PSC recommendation gave “conditions” to be met on different community quarantine scenarios. No specific sports were mentioned.
This is in parallel to the statement of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año that the government is finding leeway to allow sports that observe physical distancing during the GCQ.
“We are hopeful that the DOH and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) will consider the recommendations submitted to provide a guide for our citizenry who are eager to engage on outdoor activities again.” said Ramirez, adding “in the end we all need to follow the guidelines set by the IATF and the LGUs.”
Due to the present global health crisis, the PSC has decided to call off all the PSC-managed events and national sports competitions such as the country’s hosting of the 10th ASEAN Para Games, Philippine National Games (PNG), Philippine Youth Games-Batang Pinoy, and the 2020 National Sports Summit, in compliance with the IATF guidelines and as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
