Hosted by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) moved its Season 97 opener from March 5 to late March to let its student-athletes prepare for at least six weeks before the tournament starts. 

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Hoping to resume the action in court, the league wrote to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for exemptions on sports activities restrictions.

“But this will have to pass through the Department of Health (DOH),” Peter Cayco, from the NCAA Management Committee, shared. He also mentioned that the league is hoping that the decline of COVID-19 cases will approve their request.

Once the NCAA secures clearance, basketball and volleyball tournaments can be held without audiences. If rejected, the NCAA can push through events in an online setting, similar to Season 96. 

Currently, basketball, volleyball, chess, and taekwondo are the four tournaments on tap for Season 97.

The Benildean reached out to the College’s Center for Sports Development and noted that the tentative opening date of the league would be on March 26, 2022. 

However, NCAA and its broadcast partner GMA Network have not yet confirmed the new date for the upcoming season.