Gilas camp, group trainings halted with imposition of ECQ in NCR Plus

Different sports activities are suspended following the imposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

On Sunday, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) advised National Sports Associations (NSA) to suspend indoor and outdoor training being held in the said areas. "The NSAs are encouraged to practice online individual training and no group activities shall be conducted," it added.

????????????: NSA ADVISORY
Re: Temporary Suspension of Indoor and Outdoor training#PSCatWork#IAmSportsPositive#parasainangbayan pic.twitter.com/VvdftMtej5

— Philippine Sports Commission (@psc_gov) March 28, 2021

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), which is in charge of the Gilas Pilipinas team currently training in the Inspire Sports Academy in Laguna, said it will heed PSC's advice.

“The timing is unfortunate because our Gilas Pilipinas pool has been putting a lot of work to prepare for FIBA competitions in the coming months. It’s been a difficult stretch for the SBP and the team as COVID-19 has affected so many of our plans but we have no other choice but to adjust and move forward.”

??ASPeaks ??

Gilas Pilipinas will break camp from the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna after the province was placed under ECQ due to rising COVID-19 cases. ????????????#SBP #ParaSaBayan #LabanPilipinas ???????? pic.twitter.com/33Ft1XwgIx

— SBP (@officialSBPinc) March 29, 2021

Gilas is preparing for the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and the FIBA Olympic Qualifiers, all slated in June.

The Games and Amusements Board, the agency supervising professional sports, also suspended professional sports competitions and group training.

The government on Saturday announced the imposition of ECQ from March 29 to April 4 in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, also known as NCR Plus, due to the surge of new cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

On Monday, the Department of Health listed another record-high single day increase of 10,016 new COVID-19 cases.

—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA News