House panel OKs reso prioritizing nat’l athletes for Covid-19 vax

MANILA – A House of Representatives’ panel on Tuesday approved a resolution urging the government to prioritize national athletes participating in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Covid-19 vaccination program.

The House Committee on Youth and Sports Development approved House Resolution 1507, which seeks to classify national athletes as front-liners to prioritize their vaccination against Covid-19.

Deputy Speaker Michael Romero, the author of the resolution, said prioritizing their vaccination in the soonest possible time would ensure that they will be allowed to participate in the qualifying stages.

Romero noted that the Tokyo Olympics will be held from July 23 up to Aug. 8, 2021, while the SEA Games will be held from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2, 2021.

“The State recognizes the importance of sports development to foster social progress and promote total human development. The State also recognizes the tireless and self-less sacrifice of our national athletes,” he said.

He said the national athletes would undergo qualifying stages for the Tokyo Olympics and SEA Games as early as April and May of this year.