GAB, PSC joint reso draws line between pro, amateur sports

THE Games and Amusement Board (GAB) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) on Friday issued Joint Resolution No. 2020-01 to define a professional athlete and professional sports or competitions.

The redefining of the terms on professional sports and non-professional sport to guide and help sports stakeholders and sports regulators in the conduct of their functions and ensure the proper implementation of the PSC-GAB-Department of Health (DOH) Joint Administrative Order (JAO) No. 2020-0001.

For GAB Chairman Abraham Khalil "Baham" Mitra, the joint resolution fulfills a very long felt need in the sports community.

“If an athlete gets paid and does not play for the flag, then he or she is a professional athlete,” he said.

Based on the GAB-PSC joint resolution, professional sports or competitions shall refer to individual or team sports, games, contests, bouts, tournaments, or competitions whereby the participating athletes are being paid with sums of money or other forms of compensation as salary or prizes.

The GAB-PSC JAO has also removed sports competitions under the auspices of PSC, schools, colleges, universities, and athletic associations or organizations of colleges and universities from the definition of professional sports or competition.

“With this development, we hope that there will be no confusion of any kind among sports stakeholders and the implementers in the future,” Mitra stressed.

Meanwhile, Mitra reiterated that the JAO only allows the resumption of professional sports competitions in areas classified as low risk during this time of the pandemic. “According to the JAO, the staging of actual games for amateur sports shall be suspended, until such time effective vaccines or medicines are developed,” he added.

GAB and PSC are regulatory agencies under the Office of the President. GAB is mandated to regulate and supervise all professional sports and games. On the other hand, the PSC serves as the sole-policy-making and coordinating body for all amateur sports development programs and institutions in the country.

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