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UAAP announced Friday that it was canceling season 83.
“After a series of discussions, the UAAP board of directors made this difficult decision, placing greater consideration on the health and safety of student-athletes and those involved in the operations of our competitions,” the league said.
According to records, the UAAP has not canceled an entire season from World War II until this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic erased any sense of normalcy around the world.
The UAAP interrupted the 82 season on April 4, after the government extended a strict lockdown across Luzon to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.
Student-athletes participated in various philanthropic efforts, following the cancellation of sports activities.
But as virus cases declined and various professional leagues were restarted, there were talks between the government and sports organizations so that amateur competitions could follow suit.
However, the sticking point was that it was difficult to justify holding school leagues if classroom classes were still banned and college and university operations were still limited.
Just 3 weeks ago, the executive director of the UAAP, Rebo Saguisag, said that he believed an opening in April 2021 was possible, although he was cautious, adding that “it was not an official position of the UAAP” and emphasized that it could happen “if all goes well”.
UAAP said school officials have yet to discuss what scrapping the 83rd season would entail.
Season 82 saw the first semester sports run smoothly, with their core men’s basketball tournament ending with the Blue Eagles winning the championship.
When the Philippines first reported the presence of COVID-19 in January, the UAAP was one of the leagues that played until the outbreak turned into a full-blown pandemic.
The stoppage of the action was gradual.
UAAP canceled all of its high school events on March 14 and suspended collegiate events in their traditional format. His original plan was to seek an “alternative format” if the government lifted the blockade before April 15.
However, the extension of the lockdown led to the UAAP finally ending its season, following the NCAA, which ended its 95th season on March 19.
In the UAAP calendar, the men’s volleyball and soccer tournaments and the women’s volleyball competition were canceled.
The women’s soccer, baseball, softball, track, grass tennis, and 3×3 basketball tournament didn’t even start.
FROM THE ARCHIVES:
UAAP, UAAP season 83, UAAP season canceled, COVID-19, COVID-19 pandemic, student-athletes
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