The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the conduct of sports in the Philippines affecting both competitive sports leagues and tournaments and recreational sports.
Background
Several ongoing or scheduled seasons of sports leagues in the Philippines were either suspended or canceled. The same applies to international tournaments set to be hosted by the Philippines.
Regional qualification games involving Philippine national teams were likewise postponed.
Starting May 2020, restrictions on sports by the national government began to ease on areas under general community quarantine. Non-contact sports such as golf and cycling where allowed due to relative ease with observing social distancing measures in engaging with these disciplines.[4]
While professional leagues such as the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippines Football League was eventually allowed to resume or start play with appropriate health precautions, the government in February 2021 reiterated its stance of not allowing amateur and non-professional commercial sports leagues to organize any events at all with uncertainties over the status of the availability of COVID-19 vaccines.[5] At the time, the government also express hesitancy to immediately allow professional league to organize games with a live audience even the moment vaccines become available.[6]
The re-imposition of ECQ/MECQ in the Greater Manila Area in late March until April 2021, led to the pause of team trainings and the postponement of professional leagues for their 2021 season.[7]
Impact by sport
Athletics
The training of local-based track and field athletes were halted in March 2020, when community quarantine measures started. They are set to resume training in Baguio in October 2021.[8]
Badminton
The Badminton Asia Championships set to be hosted in Manila was postponed. It was initially scheduled to be held in Wuhan, China where COVID-19 is believed to originate from but was moved to Manila due to the outbreak.[9]
Baseball
The women's national team's preparation for the now-postponed 2020 Women's Baseball World Cup was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with team members had to train separately aided with online tools instead of training as a team in a baseball pitch. Plans to train in Japan, and participate in pocket tournaments in Hong Kong was cancelled.[10]
The 2020 season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the PBA D-League was suspended indefinitely on March 10, 2020, after its first game had completed. The inaugural of the PBA's 3x3 tournament was also likewise delayed.[12][13][14] The 2020 PBA season was reduced to just one conference or tournament from the customary three conferences. The suspended Philippine Cup was resumed in October under a bubble format in Clark, Pampanga.[15]
Cebu-based organization ALA Boxing announced its permanent closure in August 2020 due to losses caused by the pandemic as well as the closure of its broadcast partner ABS-CBN.[17] All boxers under ALA Promotions were released and ALA Gym was closed as well.[18]
On March 11, local football team Ceres–Negros F.C. played their 2020 AFC Cup home match against Bali United F.C. behind closed doors at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.[24] Ceres–Negros due to the pandemic affecting the operations of Ceres Liner announced in July 2020 that it was looking for new owners after businessman and club chair Leo Rey Yanson decided to prioritize managing the affairs of the bus line.[25][26]
Golf
Golf courses were closed due to community quarantine measures in the country. In May 2020, golf courses in localities under general community quarantine were allowed to operate. Golf courses issued new regulations which were based on recommendations by the National Golf Association of the Philippines. Caddies had their roles reduced to only "course-related maintenance" work and were not allowed to interact directly with golfers.[27][28]
Swimming
The 11th Asian Swimming Championships which was scheduled to be held from November 7 to 17, 2020 was postponed by a year. On May 30, Philippine Swimming Inc. the national sports association for aquatic sports in the country issued the "Return to Swim" the guidelines stipulating on how its member clubs could resume operations and its swimmers could resume training under certain conditions in areas under general community quarantine.[29]
The PSL was able to organize the 2021 Beach Challenge Cup, the opening tournament for its 2021 season. However following the conclusion of its beach volleyball tournament. Its regular members either moved to its rival league, Premier Volleyball League or filed a pandemic-related leave of absence which left the PSL with no active members.[32][33] The PSL released a statement that it will still be active in sports development and maintained that the departure of its clubs to the PVL was done in amicable terms.[34]
The community quarantine measures imposed in Metro Manila forced the cancellation of University Athletic Association of the Philippines's (UAAP) UAAP Season 82.[37]University of Santo Tomas was officially awarded as overall champions in both the juniors and seniors division of the season in a "virtual" closing ceremony on July 25. No Athlete of the Year was named.[38] The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Season 95 also ended prematurely, but unlike the UAAP, no overall championship title was awarded.[39] On December 11, 2020, the UAAP announced its decision to cancel Season 83, which was scheduled to commence in early 2021.[40]