Nitong nakaraang Miyerkules, inihayag ni UAAP Season 84 president Nonong Calanog na target nilang magbalik sa aksyon sa darating na Pebrero 2022 pagkaraan ng halos dalawang taong pagkatigil dahil sa pandemya.
Unang sisimulan ang basketball competition sa Pebrero habang balak nilang isunod ang volleyball pagkatapos ng Semana Santa sa Abril 16.
"Our hope is that the approval for return to training will be soon so that we can get them into the bubble by November 1. We have about three and a half months for them to train, to get back in competition shape to be able to start by mid-February," pahayag ni Calanog sa idinaos na vaccination drive na itinaguyod ng Commission on Higher Education para sa mga student-athletes.
Sinabi rin niya na lahat ng basketball at volleyball athletes ng UAAP ay kumpleto na ng bakuna kontra COVID-19 na inaasahang makatutulong ng malaki para bigyan sila ng pahintulot ng gobyerno na makalaro.
"At least for basketball and volleyball, all of our players are already 100 percent fully vaccinated, so they are ready to come back, we're just waiting for the permission for them to return to training," ayon pa kay Calanog ng host school De La Salle University.
Nauna nang inihayag ni National Task Force against COVID-19 chief at vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.,lahat ng mga student-athletes at staff ay dapat bakunado bago makapagdaos ng face-to-face training.
"Each one of them should be vaccinated first, so they would be really protected. This is a must because one unvaccinated individual will pose a risk to the vaccinated," dagdag pa ni Galvez.
Matatandaang inihintong UAAP ang kanilang 82nd Season, gayundin ang kanilang 83rd Season dahil sa health at safety concerns kaugnay ng COVID-19 pandemic.
Marivic Awitan