The Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation hopes its athletes will be allowed to train in the waters soon for future high-quality international tournaments scheduled next year.
National team coach Len Escollante said they are still waiting for instructions from the Philippine Sports Commission on how they will proceed since only a few sports are allowed for formal training by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) due to quarantine restrictions.
Most of their athletes are in the provinces, while six paddlers were left at their training site in Taytay, Rizal.
“If ever sana ma-allow na talaga totally silang maka-paddle kahit diyan sa Laguna de Bay,” she said.
Escollante said their athletes can still practice social distancing during paddle training since they can only use a single boat.
In doubles, distance between partners is 6 to 8 meters apart in paddling.
Escollante, who was stranded in Tacloban, Leyte, said they are able to train in the waters due to eased quarantine restrictions in the province.
“Yung mga nasa Taytay at nasa kani-kanilang probinsya, gym training lang,” she said.
Escollante said they are looking at competing in the 18th Asian Canoe Sprint Championships, which was rescheduled from March this year to a still unspecified date in 2021.
The tournament is an Asian qualifier to the Tokyo Olympics.