Cesafi now requires players to show they are fit to play

TO ENSURE that every qualified player competing in the 15th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) has a clean bill of health, the league will now be requiring everyone to submit a medical certificate and an electrocardiogram certificate before they are allowed to play.

This was announced by the league’s longtime commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy in a statement sent to the press on Monday evening.

It said, “Starting this 15th Cesafi Season, all college and high school basketball players qualified to play will submit a medical and an ECG certificate signifying that they are fit to play.”

In an interview, Tiukinhoy admitted that the development came to be in light of the unfortunate death of Jose Rizal University high school player Carl Jimwell “CJ” Servillon during a game in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup in May.

The 6-foot-1 Servillon, passed away just days after collapsing in the middle of a timeout during a match versus the La Salle-Zobel.

Tiukinhoy said that players must submit the said requirements right after the official screening of documents submitted by the participating schools.

He also reiterated that players who do not submit the said documents will not be allowed to play.

FIRST AID SEMINAR

The league is set to open on Aug. 1 at the Cebu Coliseum.

In addition, to ensure that coaches, their staff as well as league officials are capable of handling such situations should the need arise, a seminar on first aid and emergency procedures will be conducted.

The seminar will be led by renowned rehabilitation medicine specialist Dr. Rhoel Dejano, arguably Cebu’s finest sports medicine practitioner and the head of the medical team that is present during the Cesafi games.

Dejano said that he is still in negotiations with a Basic Life Support (BLS) expert to speak during the seminar, the date of which will be announced soon.