Displaying creativity and resiliency amid the country’s ongoing battle against COVID-19 are the primary reasons why NCAA pushed through with the staging of Season 96.
Fr. Vic Calvo of host Colegio de San Juan de Letran said on Tuesday’s episode of ‘Rise Up Stronger: The Road to Season 96’ that the members of the league’s management committee collectively decided to hold the season to show that the NCAA can withstand any hurdle.
“It was a collective decision on the part of the NCAA management committee but it’s really hard since we’re all adjusting to the new normal,” said Calvo.
“NCAA would like to show the creativity and resilience of the Filipinos, especially in the pandemic. So we don't easily give up. We don't give up, that’s the message we want to deliver. We have to adjust to the situation and make the most of it.”
The NCAA is penciled in to officially unwrap the new season this June 13 but only with virtual events in sports like chess, taekwondo, basketball, and volleyball as face-to-face physical activities for amateurs are yet to be approved by the government.
This would mark a history for NCAA as the first-ever league to restart in the middle of the COVID-19.
But Calvo admitted that the road leading to June 13 was not smooth as they had to first, find a broadcast partner which later happened to be the GMA Network, and second, coordinate with a number of government agencies in order to safely lay down the season.
“We have to abide by the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) and with CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) since most of our participants are minors so we have to be extra cautious for the safety of the athletes.”
Calvo also said that the unique Season 96 would be their way of giving back to the fans after a number of months where sports is at a standstill.
“We want to make sure that we have something to show to the fans, not only to the NCAA but the entire sports community.”
Watch 'Rise Up Stronger: The Road to NCAA Season 96' every weekday (2:45 p.m.) Saturdays (4:30 p.m), and Sundays (5:05 p.m.) on GTV.
—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News
