INSPIRE Academy selected as Chooks 3x3 venue

The 3x3 bubble will be played in Calamba.

3x3 basketball in the Philippines is set to commence its professional debut inside a bubble.

According to Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 commissioner Eric Altamirano, they are targeting the third week of September for their inaugural pro campaign. He adds, "Then it will go until February next year to be able to complete the season so magkakaroon tayo ng tatlong conferences for this year."

The league has selected the INSPIRE Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna as their host for the bubble, as Altamirano acknowledged a need for an isolated area.

Owned by the SM Group and located inside the Calamba campus of National University, the INSPIRE Sports Academy styles itself as "the first world-class learning and sporting institution in the Philippines that features 360-degree sport science and educational support for athletes."

The facility includes a dormitel that contains sixty rooms with 176 beds, which includes 32 dorm-type rooms, 20 hotel-type rooms, and four executive rooms.

Altamirano shares, "We were able to go there and inspect the campus and it’s a world-class campus. Kumpleto na, may hotel sa loob. Really nice facility. And one thing we requested from them is once we get into the bubble, kami lang yung tao sa loob ng campus, so that will really assure that everyone will be safe and air-tight."

As the norm in these times, the league will abide by strict health protocols, which include everyone undergoing CoViD-19 testing before entering the bubble.

The former head coach of NU explains, "For example, we’re gonna enter the first day. Right before we enter, there’s going to be a series of testings so that is probably five to seven days prior to the entry to the bubble. Magkakaroon ng PCR testing ang mga players, and then on the day itself, we’re gonna have a rapid test, so that will ensure us that whoever goes into the bubble will be safe."

He adds, "Say, we hold our first leg Friday and then mayroong break ng Saturday, Saturday we are still going to have another round of tests for everybody inside the bubble and the we will play our second leg Sunday and then Sunday night right after the second leg, everybody will get out of the bubble. After that, every two weeks, we go inside the bubble."

Altamirano also reaffirms their commitment to protocols, says "We will continue to apply yung safety protocol in terms of testing before going inside the bubble. Importante, everybody has to follow and be disciplined sa execution ng protocol." He also notes that the league has contingency plans when someone tests positive, which includes high-tech contract tracing.

"For us, there are three important things that we wanna emphasize sa protocol. Number one is the testing. Number two, yung educate -- we want to educate our players, all the people that will be part of the league. And then number three, yung contact tracing. So, napaka-importante sa amin niyan," enumerated the soft-spoken mentor.

"We have partnered with a company na very high-tech yung app nila that we’re going to use in our practices and during the games. We wanna ensure na if ever there’s an eventuality of a positive case, then we will be able to report it and be able to trace the people na nala-interact ng player or whoever na CoViD positive," Altamirano continued.

Games and Amusements Board chairman Baham Mitra was impressed with the guidelines put in place by Chooks 3x3, although he reiterated the reminders put in place by the Joint Administrative Order that was unveiled earlier this week.

"Maganda yung safety protocols that Chooks-to-Go sent us. And yes, under the joint administrative order of the DOH, PSC and GAB, only professional players, athletes, will be allowed to practice," Mitra says.

He adds, "At first, mas konti ang magpa-practice kasi 3-on-3. Second, I understand that they will be locating themselves outside of Metro Manila and they will be placed and their training under isolation or what is now called a bubble. And the high-tech contact tracing will be done and will also be shared with other professional leagues. So, yes, they will be allowed to practice and eventually resume."

"Ang hinihingi lang naman nila is to practice muna. No scrimmage, conditioning, strength training and then eventually, when the quarantine levels may go down, then I’m sure the IATF will eventually allow scrimmages."