Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) head Philip Ella Juico revealed that the body is planning to host two national open tourneys in 2021 to help keep the national athletes competitive.
Juico said on Tuesday at the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum that PATAFA will be holding its annual national meet supposed to be slated on Dec. 4-6 to a tentative date of Mar. 19-21, 2021 in the Athletics Stadium at New Clark City.
The tournament, which is set to host at least 20 national athletes, will also serve as a qualifier for the postponed Tokyo Olympics. It will also be held in a bubble-type atmosphere.
"We don't want to lose the momentum we gained in the SEA Games. We're also working hard to get as many Olympic qualifiers to Tokyo as we can," explained Juico.
Juico mentioned that around 200-300 individuals are set to participate in the meet, and be accommodated by the PATAFA inside the Athletes' Village situated across the stadium.
Although it has not been approved by the IATF yet, they are working in close coordination with the BCDA in this endeavor.
If non-national athletes wish to participate, they will have to shoulder their expenses. Among those still in contention for the Olympics are sprinters Eric Cray and Kristina Knott, shot put thrower William Morrison, pole vaulter Natalie Uy, and marathon runners Christine Hallasgo and Mary Joy Tabal.
Another meet, the 2021 edition, will be scheduled at around September or October, and will serve as further training for the 31st Southeast Asian Games to be held in Hanoi, Vietnam late next year.
Philippine athletics brought home 11 golds, eight silver, and eight bronze medals in the 2019 edition, which saw some record-breaking performances from the country's tracksters.