DS orders up for military athletes, coaches

TOKYO Olympics qualifiers and hopefuls who are members of the military will be prioritized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the granting of detailed service (DS) orders.

This was agreed upon during a meeting among Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and AFP officials, who put premium on the qualifiers and aspirants’ training and preparation for the Games that were moved to 2021.

“We are working with the POC in drawing up the list,” PSC Acting Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr. said.

The DS orders of national athletes who are personnel of the various AFP services expired last May and have since been ordered to return to the barracks. The PSC wrote the AFP on its request to allow 78 national athletes and 52 coaches in 19 sports to be detailed to the PSC.

Iroy discussed the details of the DS orders with Col. Rocky Binag of the AFP Special Service Unit, POC Secretary-general Atty. Ed Gastanes and NSA Affairs Head Annie Ruiz. They expect to wrap up the task in mid-august.

Rio 2016 weightlifting silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz and Tokyo Olympics-bound boxer Eumir Felix Marcial, who are both enlisted in the Air Force, already got their DS orders to focus on their training. Diaz is still trying to qualify for the Games.

Several athletes and coaches in swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, wrestling, boxing, baseball, rowing, sailing, sepak takraw, softball, soft tennis, weightlifting, cycling, obstacle sports, muaythai and judo and para athletes in athletics, badminton, table tennis and cycling are also AFP personnel.