THE UAAP is willing to wait before it launches its 83rd season given the uncertainties and changes brought about by the COVID-19 health crisis, according to league executive director Atty. Rebo Saguisag.
“Given the fluidity of the situation, we are not yet in a position to make a decision on how exactly Season 83 would be like,” Saguisag told Malaya-Business Insight yesterday.
“We ideally would like to hold it like any normal season would. But we live in abnormal times, where things change by the day,” he added.
With its September opening unlikely due to the global pandemic, among the options that the UAAP is mulling is to start early next year.
Although Metro Manila has been placed into a more relaxed general community quarantine last June 1, sports-related mass gatherings like basketball are still not allowed.
Another factor that the league will consider is the Philippine Sports Commission’s “no vaccine, no sports” policy and class opening decisions mandated by the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education.
The remainder of Season 82, which included the highly-anticipated women’s volleyball tournament, was called off for good last April 7 because of the coronavirus crisis.
Other sports that were scrapped were football, baseball, softball, athletics, lawn tennis, and 3í—3 basketball.
Saguisag maintained that the fate of the league will depend on a series and detailed meetings on schedule for the Board of Managing Directors.
