POC to roll out vaccination of Olympic, SEAG-bound athletes this Friday

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chief Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino on Tuesday said that athletes and coaches bound for the Tokyo Olympics and 31st Hanoi SEA Games will be vaccinated starting this Friday, May 28.

Tolentino said they are now in coordination with all national sports associations (NSAs) in coming up with a partial list of persons receiving the jabs against COVID-19 at the Manila Prince Hotel, which will serve as the inoculation site.

“The good news today is that IATF has also approved the vaccination this Friday which will be exclusive for Olympic-bound and SEA Games-bound delegates,” Tolentino said on Philippine Sportswriters Association forum.

“This will happen on Friday afternoon at the Manila Prince Hotel and everyone is included, from coaches, athletes, officials, media, (and)  journalists, everyone bound for Tokyo and SEA Games who are here in Manila.”

The development came after the Vietnam SEA Games Organizing Committee employed a ‘no vaccine, no participation’ policy come the biennial meet this November.

Tolentino, meanwhile, said that delegates who are currently based in their respective provinces could still be inoculated once POC gets the green light from IATF and DOH to have them vaccinated without having to fly to Manila.

“We’ll get the list and we’ll coordinate with IATF and DOH to just have them vaccinated in their provinces,” said Tolentino, also the cycling chief.

“Then those who are abroad, we’ll wait for them.”

Tolentino is also confident that with the surge of cases in the country, delegates would all opt to get their doses; however, he said that if some athletes or coaches choose not to, they do not have a choice but to drop them.

“With the surge like in India and the entire world, everyone is becoming eager to get their vaccine and I think there should not be doubts about it anymore. But we can’t do anything if they do not want to.”

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News