By Jonas Terrado

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial Monday extended the ban prohibiting teams from holding practices, scrimmages and other related activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marcial said in a memo that teams won’t be allowed to stage such activities until further notice after the government imposed an “enhanced community quarantine” and declared a state of calamity

The league had earlier ordered teams from taking a two-week break from practices which was supposed to end on Friday.

“In light of the country’s current situation, the Office of the Commissioner is extending all its member teams’ two-week break from practices, scrimmages and other related activities which was supposed to end March 27 — Friday, until further notice,” Marcial said in the memo.

“Declaration no. 929 places the whole country under state of calamity and the nation’s capital under ‘enhanced quarantine,’” he added. “We ask your full cooperation and compliance and encourage everyone to stay fit and healthy in the confines and safety of their homes.

“Please continue to follow the guidelines set by our government health workers and standby for updates,” Marcial also said.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial extends break from practices, scrimmages and other related activities until further notice @mbsportsonline pic.twitter.com/yTozj70i2M

— Jonas Terrado (@jonastsinelas) March 23, 2020

The latest memo puts no end in sight not only to the pandemic but also a timetable for the resumption of the PBA Philippine Cup which started last March 8.

The league suspended play for the unforeseeable future after defending five-time champion San Miguel Beer defeated Magnolia 94-78 in the opener at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Players have been forced to train on their own homes since the league stopped all activities last week because of the pandemic.

While some have welcomed the decision to put the games on hold for the safety of everyone in the PBA community, some like NLEX coach Yeng Guiao did admit that being on the shelve has been “getting boring.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Nick Giongco

Tokyo Olympic qualifier Eumir Marcial admits the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has reached a terrifying level that it could end up derailing his Olympic dreams.

“Bata pa lang ako ito na ang pangarap ko,” Marcial told the Manila Bulletin from his home in Imus, Cavite.

Marcial earned a ticket to Tokyo after ruling the middleweight class in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament held early this month in Amman, Jordan.

The outbreak has wrought so much havoc that talks of the July 24-Aug. 9 Games being postponed or cancelled altogether is a smouldering topic within the International Olympic Committee.

And the prospects of Tokyo totally being unable to stage the Olympics has caused Marcial sleepless nights.

“Sa akin naman naniniwala ako na matutuloy pa rin. Kahit i-postpone nila para lalo na ring makapaghanda ang lahat,” said the 24-year-old Zamboanga native.

But what if the Tokyo Olympics wounds up being scrapped?

“Huwag naman sana cancelled dahil magiging masakit sa kagaya ko na naghirap at nagsakripisyo,” he said.

Marcial arrived in Manila from Jordan on March 13 and immediately headed to Cavite to undergo quarantine.

Ed Picson, secretary-general of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines, has advised Marcial and another Tokyo qualifier, female fly Irish Magno, and the rest of the national team to be on ‘active rest’ mode as everyone await the fate of Tokyo.

Marcial is following orders to the letter.

“Nagsha-shadow box ako sa umaga at gumagamit ng (punch) mitts at sa hapon naman ay ‘partner play’,” Marcial said.

‘Partner play is a mock sparring session in boxing lingo, wherein only one of two sparmates are throwing punches in the air.

Despite the odds of Tokyo not pushing through, Marcial remains hopeful the tide will turn.

“Gusto ko kasi iregalo sa tatay ko ang Olympic gold habang narito pa sya,” said Marcial.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Canadian Olympic officials on Sunday urged postponement of the Tokyo Games, saying that in view of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic they won’t send a team in the summer of 2020.

“The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), backed by their Athletes’ Commissions, National Sports Organizations and the Government of Canada, have made the difficult decision to not send Canadian teams to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the summer of 2020,” the COC said in a statement that ratchets up the pressure on the International Olympic Committee to postpone the Games scheduled to start on July 24.

The IOC has come under increasing pressure to push back the games from sporting federations and athletes worried about the health risks as the COVID-19 global death tally went past 13,000 on Sunday.

IOC president Thomas Bach said a decision on when the Games would take place would be made “within the next four weeks.”

Canadian Olympic and Paralympic authorities, however, said they wouldn’t wait that long, urging the IOC to postpone the Games for one year while offering “our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring.

“While we recognize the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community,” the COC and CPC said.

“This is not solely about athlete health — it is about public health,” their statement added. “With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games.

“In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow.”

That argument has become increasingly heard from athletes in countries where training facilities are shuttered and gatherings of people are banned in a bid to halt the spread of the disease.

The IOC has countered that by July, the global crisis could have passed and that postponing now would be premature and could cost some athletes a long-awaited chance at Olympic glory that might not come again.

Bach said the IOC was considering “different scenarios,” adding that complete cancellation of the games was not among them.

“We are thankful to the IOC for its assurance that it will not be cancelling the Tokyo 2020 Games and appreciative that it understands the importance of accelerating its decision-making regarding a possible postponement,” the Canadian statement said.

“We also applaud the IOC for acknowledging that safeguarding the health and wellness of nations and containing the virus must be our paramount concern. We are in the midst of a global health crisis that is far more significant than sport.

“We remain hopeful that the IOC and IPC will agree with the decision to postpone the Games as a part of our collective responsibility to protect our communities and work to contain the spread of the virus.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Postponing the Olympics over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may become “inevitable,” Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe conceded Monday, after the International Olympic Committee said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies.

The comments from Abe were his first acknowledgement that the 2020 Games may not open as scheduled on July 24, as the coronavirus marches across the globe causing unprecedented chaos.

Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic committees meanwhile announced they will not send teams to the Games if they are held this summer, citing the health of their athletes and the general public.

And Australia’s Olympic committee told athletes to prepare for a Tokyo Olympics in the northern-hemisphere summer of 2021.

“It’s clear the Games can’t be held in July,” Australian chef de mission Ian Chesterman said.

For weeks, Japan and Olympic officials have held the line that preparations are moving ahead to hold the Games as scheduled, but there has been increasing pressure from sports federations and athletes whose training has been thrown into turmoil.

On Monday, Abe told parliament that Japan was still committed to hosting a “complete” Games, but added: “If that becomes difficult, in light of considering athletes first, it may become inevitable that we make a decision to postpone.”

“Cancellation is not an option,” Abe said, echoing comments from IOC chief Thomas Bach, who ruled out scrapping the Games, saying it “would not solve any problem and would help nobody”.

The IOC has also shifted its position on the Games, issuing a statement on Sunday saying it was stepping up planning for different scenarios, including postponement.

It said it would hold “detailed discussions” on the “worldwide health situation and its impact on the Olympic Games, including the scenario of postponement”.

A decision should come “within the next four weeks”, the body added.

“Human lives take precedence over everything, including the staging of the Games,” Bach wrote in an open letter to athletes.

‘Many, many more challenges’

But the IOC warned that the logistics of postponing the Games were extremely complicated, with venues potentially unavailable, millions of hotel nights already booked and a packed international sports calendar.

“These are just a few of many, many more challenges.”

The IOC is responsible for making any final decision on the Games, and has come under increasing pressure as the coronavirus crisis grows, with more than 14,300 deaths worldwide by Sunday, according to an AFP tally.

The virus has already had an impact, with qualifiers cancelled and events to celebrate the Olympic torch arrival and relay scaled back.

Despite the measures, tens of thousands of people flocked to a cauldron displaying the flame in northeastern Japan, raising fears about whether the relay can be held safely.

The idea of holding the Games on schedule has drawn a swelling chorus of objections.

On Sunday, nine-time Olympic track and field champion Carl Lewis, and the head of French athletics, became the latest to urge a delay.

“I just think it’s really difficult for an athlete to prepare, to train, to keep their motivation if there’s complete uncertainty. That’s the hardest thing,” Lewis told Houston television station KRIV.

“I think a more comfortable situation would be two years and put it in the Olympic year with the Winter Olympics (Beijing 2022) and then make it kind of a celebratory Olympic year.”

‘So irresponsible’

The head of the French athletics federation Andre Giraud also said postponement was inevitable.

“Everyone agrees that the Games cannot be held on the dates planned,” Giraud said.

And for some athletes, the IOC’s announcement was too little, too late.

“So wait… does this mean that athletes face up to another FOUR weeks of finding ways to fit in training — whilst potentially putting ourselves, coaches, support staff and loved ones at risk just to find out they were going to be postponed anyway,” tweeted Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith, the world 200m champion.

“So irresponsible,” she added. “I was really hoping to hear an announcement that they’d postponed it to 2021 this week.”

Canada said it would not send its athletes to any Games held this summer, calling on the IOC and International Paralympic Committee to “postpone the Games as a part of our collective responsibility to protect our communities”.

But Bach, speaking to German outlet SWR on Saturday, warned postponement was “a very complex operation.”

“Postponing the Olympic Games is not like moving a football game to next Saturday,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, whose positive coronavirus (COVID-19) test prompted the NBA to shut down its season, says the virus has caused him to lose his sense of smell.

The French big man, whose defensive talents earned him the nickname the “Stifle Tower,” tested positive for COVID-19 on March 11, the result bringing the NBA season to an abrupt halt.

In social media posts since then, the 27-year-old had said he was feeling better, but on Sunday he tweeted that he was experiencing one of the lesser-known symptoms of the illness.

“Just to give you guys an update, loss of smell and taste is definitely one of the symptoms, haven’t been able to smell anything for the last 4 days,” Gobert wrote on Twitter. “Anyone experiencing the same thing?”

More than a dozen NBA players have tested positive for COVID-19. Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell was the second player diagnosed, and the total includes four players from the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets players testing positive included superstar Kevin Durant, who has been sidelined all season recovering from injury.

Days before his positive test, Gobert had shrugged off safety measures aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus, pointedly touching every microphone and voice recorder on a table in front of him at a media availability.

The cavalier stunt took a serious turn after it emerged he had tested positive. Gobert apologizing for his actions and saying he wished he had “taken this thing more seriously.”

The global death toll from the virus surged to more than 14,300 on Sunday, according to an AFP tally.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Tito S. Talao

Mauricio ‘Moying’ Martelino, secretary-general of the Asian Basketball Confederation from 1993 to 2001, remembers the late Boris Stankovic — who for more than two decades was the secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation [FIBA] and was the man responsible for bringing the 1978 World Basketball Championship to the Philippines — as an “absolute authority.”

Martelino, now senior consultant with the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, recalls his initial encounter with Stankovic, who passed away recently at the age of 94 in his hometown of Belgrade in Serbia.

“I was then a candidate for secretary-general of ABC and Mr. Stankovic was present at the ABC Congress in Hong Kong,” Martelino says.

As the election process was coming to a close, Martelino remembers, a friendly delegate from the Hong Kong Basketball Association all of a sudden stood up and declared the Filipino candidate the winner, preempting the official announcement.

“Inunahan niya si Stankovic,” says Martelino.

Needless to say, the FIBA top executive was furious and castigated the official from HK.

“‘Sit down! Keep quiet!” Martelino recalls Stankovic shouting over the microphone. “‘I’m in charge here! I will make the announcement!’”

Despite the suspense getting taken out of the election, Stankovic proceeded with making the announcement, and Martelino went on to become ABC sec-gen for the next eight years.

The identity of the HK delegate who one-upped Boris Stankovic in his own territory? Martelino says he no longer can remember his name

For his part, Sonny Barrios, executive director of SBP, says Stankovic comes back to mind from when Barrios first met him in March 2012.

Barrios had been appointed to the SBP post the year before and he asked Martelino to accompany him to a FIBA meeting in Geneva when he pays a courtesy call to federation bosses there.

“Nagpasama ako ke Moying dahil wala akong kakila-kilala don e,” says Barrios, who was first introduced to then FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann and next to the great man himself.

“Based on his warm welcome for Moying and also for me, I felt he had a soft spot not only for Moying but also for Filipinos and the Philippines,” says Barrios. “Yakapan sila ng mahigpit. He even treated us to dinner, if I remember right.”

The warm relationship between Stankovic and Martelino was plain to see, according to Barrios.

“They call him ‘Bora.’ First name basis lang sila. And I think na-bless din ako nong goodwill ni Moying sa FIBA. That relationship extended to Patrick until his passing (in 2018).”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

Just like other athletes affected by the cancelation of Olympic Qualifying Tournaments due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, six Filipino fencers are finding ways to stay in shape in case the event pushes through as  they seek spots to the Tokyo Olympics in July.

According to national fencing team coach Amat Canlas, organizers in South Korea have postponed the April Asian Fencing Championship which serves as the OQT for the region.

“What we know is last week of April or first week of May if they go on with it, although for now, we don’t know which country will host it. Almost all the OQTs in different continents are either postponed or canceled,” Canlas told the Bulletin.

Six Filipino fencers, led by Southeast Asian Games gold medalist in women’s saber event Jalyn Nicanor, have made it to the national team that will aim for Olympic spot.

Also part of the national team are Chris Jester Concepcion in men’s saber, Hanniel Abella and Noelito Jose in women’s and men’s epee, Nathaniel Perez and Samantha Catantan in men’s and women’s foil events.

Concepcion and Abella earned silver medals in their respective events in the previous SEA Games, while Jose settled for a bronze. The 18-year-old Catantan is the reigning Asian under-23 champion.

Although the country is on lockdown as the government is implementing an enhanced community quarantine to fight the spread of COVID-19, the six athletes are still training from their respective homes.

“Since all of us were asked to stay home and be safe, sa bahay na muna din sila nagte-training,” said Canlas. “Bawat isa binigyan namin ng kani-kaniyang programa para tuloy pa din ang training.”

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

Tennis great Serena Williams says she is “on edge” as she practices social distancing recommended by health experts in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The 23-time Grand Slam champion posted a series of videos on TikTok describing her concerns for her 2-year-old daughter, Olympia.

“Now I’ve been social distancing for actually a really long time, for probably two weeks now, and every little thing makes me crazy,” the 38-year-old superstar said.

“And by anxiety I mean I’m just on edge. Any time anyone sneezes around me or coughs I get crazy. I don’t hang out with anyone, and when I say anyone I mean my daughter.

“She coughed, I got angry and gave her a side-eye. I gave her that ‘angry Serena’ and then I got sad.

“I was like, ‘Is she OK? Is there something wrong with my daughter? Is there anything I can do?’ I just don’t know what to do, so instead of being relaxed I’m really under a ton of stress.”

Williams said that like many people she first thought the coronavirus wouldn’t affect her.

“And then suddenly Indian Wells was cancelled and I was like, ‘Oh, OK, that’s weird but I have a little time off and I’m going to enjoy that time off,’” she said of her reaction when the prestigious ATP and WTA tournament in Indian Wells, California, was called off earlier this month.

But as more tournament cancellations followed, Williams said she found herself feeling more anxiety.

“It is what it is, we’ll get through this. We have to,” added Williams, who has used other social media platforms, including Instagram, to urge her followers to heed recommendations to stay home when health authorities deem it necessary.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Agence France-Presse

The NBA plans to pay full salaries to players as scheduled on April 1 but could begin cutting salaries to recover money from canceled games by April 15, ESPN reported Saturday.

Citing a league memo shared with NBA clubs on Friday, the sport network’s website said the league might soon begin recovering salary based on a “force majeure” clause in its collective bargaining agreement with players.

The NBA halted its season on March 11 after Utah’s Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down sports league throughout the United States.

The memo said the league will inform teams about its plans before the April 15 payment date. That’s the day the league’s regular season was set to end before the schedule was suspended by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Under terms of the NBA-union deal, the league can withhold a percentage of a player’s salary for a catastrophic situation that forces games to be canceled, including a pandemic.

It’s uncertain when, or if, the NBA might be able to resume its campaign, which had just over a month remaining, or stage any playoffs.

The league could keep back money under the disaster clause in the short term and pay players later should the games eventually be contested.

NBA owners, preparing for major financial losses if the season does not resume, have reportedly been seeking arena dates into August in hopes of bringing the 2019-20 campaign to some sort of conclusion.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Thirdy Ravena and Hesed Gabo will be recognized for their title-clinching performances in last year’s PBA D-League Finals once the PBA Press Corps determines a date for its annual Awards Night set at Novotel Manila in Araneta City, Cubao.

Ravena and Gabo are set to receive the PBA D-League Finals Most Valuable Player awards for leading their teams to the championship of the developmental tournament’s First Conference and Foundation Cup, respectively.

Press Corps members who regularly cover the D-League determined that Ravena and Gabo are deserving of the award which will be given for the second straight year.

CJ Perez and Gab Banal were the first players to receive the distinction during the 2019 event also held at Novotel Manila.

Ravena averaged 13.0 points despite a .352 shooting percentage with 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals to help Cignal-Ateneo defeat Centro Escolar University in four games for the First Conference crown.

Gabo averaged just 7.0 points on .320 shooting with 2.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists in BRT Sumisip Basilan-St. Clare’s series win over fancied Marinerong Pilipino in the PBA D-League Foundation Cup Finals but came through when it mattered in the deciding third game.

The former Mapua guard had 12 points, five rebounds and seven assists, hitting key shots during the fourth quarter of BRT Sumisip’s 63-60 victory at Paco Arena.

The PBA Press Corps was supposed to stage its Awards Night last March 16 but was postponed to a later date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Manila Bulletin