Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) Chef de Mission and Philippine Sports Commissioner Ramon Fernandez on Friday said they are open to open to partnering with local government units (LGUs) which are willing to “adopt” teams to train in their areas.
The idea is based on the successful “bubble” training of the fencing and archery teams in Ormoc and Dumaguete respectively.
National Training Director Marc Velasco said this is a good option to take since a training set-up like the one held for the Olympic-bound teams would not be feasible.
“We are talking of almost a thousand athletes so putting them in one bubble would not be viable,” Velasco explained.
“Despite many uncertainties, the national team can be certain that we are working very hard to make sure they are prepared to defend our title,” said Fernandez.
Before the secretariat could proceed with training preparations though, an approval from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases must be obtained. Fernandez assured that they have been working on getting this approval but have been delayed with the recent developments in rising cases.
Deputies Chef de Mission Pearl Managuelod and Atty. Al Agra, Philippine Olympic Committee Secretary General Karen Caballero, PSC Doctor Janis Ann de Vera, PSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Jr., joined Fernandez and Velasco in the said meeting.
