The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will discuss clarifications on the recent Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) resolution allowing the training of national athletes competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
This includes if the resolution will also cover those athletes who have high chances of qualifying to the Olympics that the PSC has already predetermined.
“We will discuss this matter,” Ramirez told Manila Bulletin.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced on Tuesday the approval of the Philippine Olympic Committee’s (POC) request for the resumption of training for Olympic-bound athletes under a bubble setup.
“Ang pag-conduct ng bubble-type setting ay gagawin sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa regional task force kung saan gagawin ang training at lokal na pamahalaan kung saan nandun ang proposed venue,” Roque said.
However, three of the current four Olympic qualifiers are already training extensively abroad: pole vaulter EJ Obiena in Italy, gymnast Carlos Yulo in Japan and boxer Eumir Marcial in the United States.
In fact, Obiena and Yulo have already been competing abroad, with Yulo recently bagging two bronze medals at the 74th All-Japan Gymnastics Championships over the weekend.
Only boxer Irish Magno is left in the country and is currently training in her hometown in Iloilo. With the development, she would be finally reunited with her national team coaches, who have been only monitoring her online.
Both the POC and the PSC are confident the country can still produce more qualifiers since most qualifying tournaments are rescheduled next year.
Among those high performing athletes are weightlifter and 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz who is training in Malaysia, world champion boxer Nesthy Petecio, tracksters Kristina Knott and Eric Cray, golfer Yuka Saso, karatedo Junna Tsukii, judoka Kiyomi Watanabe, and 2016 Rio Olympian Kirstie Alora of taekwondo.