The committee headed by Rep. Fautisno Michael Dy has recommended for adoption House Resolution 1660 urging the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and concerned government agencies to include in the list of priority groups for vaccination against Covid19 the national athletes.

These include paralympic athletes who have qualified and those vying for qualification to the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, the 31st Southeast Asian Games, the 16th Summer Paralympic Games, the 4th Asian Youth Paralympic Games, and the 11th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Paralympic Games. 

The panel said several countries, including Hungary, Lithuania, Israel, Serbia, Denmark, Belgium, Australia, and South Korea have begun inoculating their athletes and coaches against Covid19.

Moreover, the committee stressed that national athletes of the country have already qualified while the rest shall undergo qualifying tournaments for the Tokyo Olympics, SEA Games, and Paralympic Sports events as early as April and May, 2021.

“It is imperative that our national athletes, coaches, and the entire Philippine delegation shall be provided access to vaccines against Covid19, in consonance with the vaccination plant of the Philippine government, to afford them preventive care, and to ensure that their health and safety are not compromised by reason of their participation in international sports competitions,” said in the resolution.