UNLESS the country returns to some sort of normalcy, the basketball and volleyball tournaments of the NCAA 96th season will not push through.
A highly-reliable Malaya-Business Insight source yesterday ruled out the cage wars and volley tourney due to the unseen but vicious enemy.
“Hindi lang sobrang labo, wala na ang mga iyan,” the source said. “Out of the question na ang mga iyan.”
The country’s oldest collegiate league is plodding on with its new season but only with online and hybrid events such as online chess and online taekwondo due to the health perils and uncertainties brought about by the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
Even the hybrid events such as the skills challenge and dunk tilt are unlikely to happen.
Set to be hosted by Letran, the 96th season was supposed to be launched this month but has been reset to get going virtually next month.
The source maintained the league is looking at the 97th season where the two sports could likely be allowed.
“For the sake of discussion, sige payagan nilang mag-training sa June, June, July, August, hindi mo matatapos ng less than one month iyan,” the source said.
“So medyo hihintayin na namin siguro ang 97th season for the face-to-face games.”
Among the options the league considered was holding its season in a bubble at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
The plan did not push through due to the whopping P40 million estimated cost and the absence of the green light from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
