THE Games and Amusements Board (GAB) has cleared the joint applications of Creamline Cool Smashers and Choco Mucho Flying Titans teams to hold a training camp at St. Paul American School, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, which is now under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).

The two indoor volleyball teams of Premier Volleyball League will put an athletic bubble in preparation for the upcoming inaugural season of the PVL in June.

“Considering the alarming spike in the number of Covid-19 cases, I am happy to learn that two teams of PVL have decided to stage their conditioning inside a bubble. This move is really an added safety measure, ” said GAB Chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra.

PVL training has opted to take a respite after the imposition of Enhanced Community Quarantine in the National Capital Region and other nearby provinces, such as Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, and Cavite.

“We gave them the initial approval to conduct conditioning in some areas in Metro Manila last March. But in order to ensure the safety of our professional athletes and sports officials, we decided to recall our initial approval,” added Chairman Mitra.

The training will start on April 27 until May 23 and will open its first-ever season as a professional volleyball league in June.

Meanwhile, participants in the tryouts for the men’s and women’s national teams in Subic later this week will start undergoing RT-PCR tests starting today in a swabbing facility at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The tests are in compliance with the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s requirement for all athletes, coaches, officials and staff to be tested of Covid-19 48 hours before they proceed to Subic.

Testing starts on Monday afternoon with the invitees for women’s volleyball, as well as the PNVF staff who will be at the Subic tryouts bubble.

The men’s volleyball tryout participants will have their turn on Tuesday, while the invitees for women’s and men’s beach volleyball will undergo testing on Wednesday.

Tryouts for the men’s and women’s volleyball teams are set on Wednesday and Thursday at the Subic Gym, while those for the men’s and women’s beach volleyball squads are scheduled on Friday at the Subic Tennis Courts.

The testing are through the assistance of Taguig City Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano and Deputy Chief Implementer National Task Force Against COVID-19 Secretary Vince Dizon. Taguig City is the PNVF’s local government unit partner.

“These RT-PCR tests are first and foremost on the PNVF’s list of priorities for these tryouts,” PNVF president Ramon “Tats” Suzara said.

Invited in the tryouts are 40 women’s and 40 men’s volleyball players and 20 women’s and 20 men’s beach volleyball players.

As decided in a recent meeting attended by the PNVF, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and Philippine Red Cross officials, all players will wear facemasks while participating in the three-day tryouts.