THE planned national cycling championships in the middle of this year are not pushing through as scheduled because of the increasing cases of the coronavirus in the country, the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) announced on Wednesday.
PhilCycling President Abraham Tolentino made the announcement, citing as reason the group’s adherence to the intensified campaign against the spread of the coronavirus, which has seen a spike in new cases of late.
“The priority is always the health and safety of everyone — cyclists, officials and fans,” Mr. Tolentino, also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee, said in a statement.
“We’ll just have to wait until the pandemic is contained,” he added.
Affected by the postponement were the national championships for road, mountain bike (MTB) and BMX set for May and June.
The national championships were part of the criteria for the selection of riders for the Vietnam 31st Southeast Asian Games set from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2.
Officials and cycling stakeholders were in the process of preparing for the national championships when the tough decision to postpone was announced.
Close to 300 — cyclists, commissaires, support personnel and staff — were expected at the national championships. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo