Tokyo Olympics qualifier Cris Nievarez stayed in the thick of training, whether he has been vaccinated or not.
But after getting jabbed on Friday to protect himself against COVID infection, the 20-year-old Nievarez feels more confident now on how to go about his preparations for the quadrennial meet.
“Tuloy-tuloy lang ang ensayo ko. Sinusunod lang po iyung program,” said Nievarez, who took a break from his daily workouts on Friday to join around 700 members of the national pool and team get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.
Nievarez does his daily routines with members of the national rowing team at the La Mesa Dam in Quezon City with coach Ed Maerina.
Two weeks ago, Nievarez qualified for the Tokyo Olympics at the Asia and Oceania Olympic and Paralympic qualifier in Tokyo.
Other Olympic-bound athletes are weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam, and Nesthy Petecio, and taekwondo jin Kurt Barbosa.
So far, only Diaz and Marcial have been vaccinated in their places of training in Malaysia and in the United States, respectively.
Vaccination is not required in the Tokyo Olympics, according to International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, but athletes joining the Hanoi Southeast Asian Games will need to be inoculated.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino personally witnessed the vaccination of the athletes at the Manila Prince Hotel in San Marcelino St., Manila.
“Dire-diretso na tayo. May additional protection na ang mga athletes,” said Tolentino.
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Bases Conversion Development Authority chief Vince Dizon and Taguig Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano visited the proceedings and lent their support to the athletes.
The POC sought the vaccination of SEA Games-bound national athletes after organizers of the Hanoi Organizing Committee announced a ‘No vaccine, No participation’ policy in the biennial meet set from Nov. 21 to Dec. 2.