The pandemic of the 2019 novel
coronavirus aka COVID-19 has done an annoyingly fine job at messing with the
schedules of many important events around the world. One of the most affected
is the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan which has been rescheduled for
July-August of 2021. As a result, many Olympic athletes who have been cautiously
training for the original dates find themselves not only with an extra year,
but also the prospect of how to spend it. Some Filipino Olympians find
themselves worrying about how to keep their training conditions up even in the
face of returning how to quarantined communities.
One of these is Philippine women’s
boxing competitor Irish Magno. Inquirer.net
reports that Magno, who has been in hard training all throughout the
ongoing nationwide community quarantine period against COVID-19 at Manila and
then Baguio, is worrying about how she can keep her fighting form sharp if the
takes up the offer to return home to Januiay, Iloilo in Western Visayas to wait
out the health safety restrictions. As she tells the Inquirer in interview this
Sunday, July 5, while being with her family is appealing, she is aware that she
cannot train there as thoroughly as she is currently.
“Once we’re all home, our
training would be nothing close to what we usually get (in Baguio or Manila),” says
Magno, age 28. “It really would not be enough.” The lady boxer notes that her
previous Olympic training regimen had coaches always on-hand to provide
feedback on the Tokyo 2020 Filipino pugilists and their performances, offering
guidance and pointing out mistakes. The RP boxing contingent has been quartered
at Ultra in Metro Manila after arriving earlier from their Baguio training camp.
Following COVID swab tests, they have been waiting for transportation
arrangements to return to their respective hometowns. That is, if they choose
to return.
Returning Olympic athletes from
their training locations to their hometowns has been a priority of the
Philippine Sports Commission. For the boxers, they were actively presented by
the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) with a choice.
Irish Magno, despite her concerns, has opted to come home, hoping that her
local boxing coaches in Panay can help her maintain the skills drilled to her
by her national mentors. Her decision is understandable, seeing as her
competing in both the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and then the Olympic boxing
qualifiers left her with no Christmas vacation time at all.
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