THE Gilas Pilipinas pool was part of the contingent that got its first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 on Friday afternoon.
National athletes bound for the Tokyo Olympics and the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games got their jobs on Friday at the Manila Prince Hotel in the presence of Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino and Manila mayor Isko Moreno.
As for Gilas, the team is scheduled to compete in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next month, and, in all likelihood, will also see action in the SEA Games.
The women’s volleyball team led by Jaja Santiago also got its jabs from Sinovac Biotech, part of the more than 700 athletes that took part in the inoculation. The second dose is set to be given within 28 days.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) approved the prioritization of national athletes bound for the two competitions this year especially after SEA Games organizers imposed a ‘no vaccine, no participation’ policy.
While vaccines are not required in Tokyo, Tolentino said it will definitely be much better if all Filipino athletes bound for the Olympics are given better protection against the dreaded disease.
National Task Force Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon thanked the national government for prioritizing the athletes.
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