IATF okays hosting of Israeli swimming team’s training in PH

MANILA – Israel’s national swimming team has been given the green light to conduct its pre-Olympic training in Capas, Tarlac.

This developed after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the Philippine Swimming, Inc.’s (PSI) request to host the Israeli National Swimming Team for their training at the New Clark City Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac.

In a virtual press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Israeli swimmers would undergo training in Tarlac from July 8 to 21 under a “sports bubble format.”

Israeli swimmers, Roque said, must also comply with strict health and safety protocols amid the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Kailangan nilang sumunod sa health at safety protocols (They have to follow the health and safety protocols),” he said.

Roque also took pride in the country’s hosting of the training of Israel’s national swimming team.

“Mantakin ninyo po ha. Dati tayo ang nagti-train sa ibang bansa dahil wala tayong facilities. Ngayon, ang mga dayuhan po ang nagti-train sa ating mga facilities (Imagine, we were training abroad before because we did not have facilities. Now, foreigners are training in our facilities),” he said.

In May, the IATF-EID also approved the PSI’s request to host the 2021 Swimming National Selection Meet at the New Clark City Aquatics Center.

The IATF-EID also allowed athletes who will participate in the Tokyo Olympics and the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to resume their training under a “bubble-type” setting.

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been postponed because of the pandemic.

The global sporting event will officially resume on July 23 and will end on August 8 this year.

On the other hand, the 31st SEA Games is scheduled to take place in Hanoi, Vietnam from November 21 to December 21 this year.