EXPECT a busy 2022 for collegiate sports as the UAAP plans to stage two seasons this year.
UAAP on 2022 plans
UAAP president Nonong Calanog of host La Salle is optimistic that the global COVID-19 pandemic will be handled better as the year progresses and that will allow the collegiate league to hold Season 84 starting this March and Season 85 by September or October.
"We're hoping it to be normal as we would have it. What you expect as the traditional sports will be played in the first half of the year, we're hoping to stage them by September or October so more or less we can go back to that new normal," he said.
The UAAP will tip off its Season 84 on March 26 at Mall of Asia Arena, raising the curtain with the men's basketball tournament that will run until May.
"Hopefully we'll be able to run the bubble very efficiently that there won't be any postponed dates," said Calanog as the men's basketball competition, which will be held in a bubble format, will serve as a dryrun of sorts for the collegiate league.
Once the event is over by May, the UAAP will then proceed to its other events like women's volleyball, cheerdance, among others.
"We'll start volleyball after [men's basketball]," he said. "As for the other sports, our target is to have them play by towards end of May so that they can have more time to prepare and hopefully, if the situation really eases up by that time, we may not need to have them in the bubble."
Calanog is also hopeful that the improvement of the situation can allow the other seven events to be staged outside of the bubble format as we approach this new normal.
Only then can they fully lay out what's next for Season 85 as they aim to bring back all the sports for the Adamson-hosted athletic calendar later this year.
"As early as now, we're talking with other teams and discuss how we'll bring sports back slowly," he said.
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