RP Open trackfest underway

What SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) did to basketball, it could not in athletics.

The dreaded disease, also called killer pneumonia, has taken its toll on the Southeast Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) men’s championship, which was postponed recently.

The Milo National Open International Invitationals, on the other hand, will push through as scheduled with or without the SARS threat as delegations from Malaysia, Thailand and SARS-infected Singapore arrived yesterday in time for today’s start of the annual track and field meet.

The Basketball Association of the Philippines is currently meeting with the RP team coaching staff headed by Aric del Rosario at presstime. It was del Rosario who revealed to The STAR that the event, originally scheduled from May 5 to 10 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, was postponed.

Aside from the Philippines, countries like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam were supposed to participate in the event where the country is the defending champion.

Despite the postponement del Rosario said they will continue training with some provincial sorties lined up for the team in the next few weeks.

The RP team, bankrolled by Cebuana Lhuillier, is currently playing tune-up games in the Philippine Basketball League as part of its preparation for the SEABA tilt.

Athletics chief Go Teng Kok said the eight Singaporeans who will compete in the National Open came here armed with a clean bill of health from their own doctors as part of Singaporean track head Lo Lin Kok’s effort to field in a fighting, SARS-free team.

"My best friend Lo (Lin Kok) said they double and even triple check the eight athletes they have sent here to assure that they are healthy," said Go.