On Sept. 12, the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools made a last-minute decision to cancel upcoming volleyball and soccer exchanges due to safety concerns related to the Super Typhoon Mangkhut.

The soccer exchange was originally to be hosted at Taipei American School, while the volleyball exchange was to take place at the International School of Manila. The cross country invitational is still scheduled to go as planned at the International School of Bangkok.

According to TAS athletics director Ms. Kawamoto, the anticipated pre-IASAS exchanges were cancelled through a collective decision between all the involved IASAS schools: ISM, ISB and TAS.

“Although we are disappointed, we are confident that this is the right decision concerning the safety of our IASAS teams,” Ms. Kawamoto said. The typhoon poses a great threat to the Philippines and is also expected to reach southern Taiwan on Saturday, Sept. 15.

“I found out pre-I was cancelled at the end of my math class. I was so sad that I almost cried,” starting outside hitter of the volleyball team Angelina Chen (‘22) said. “I was so excited to travel with the team and have fun while playing volleyball games with different schools,” starting setter Kimberly Huang (‘22) said. Both being freshmen, the two players were devastated that their first overseas exchange had been cancelled.

“I was in the cafeteria when a teammate told me that pre-I was cancelled,” boys soccer co-captain Carlos Delgado-Marquez (‘19) said. “I felt very disappointed.” However, regardless of the cancellation, Carlos is grateful for the replacement games that have been arranged with local teams.

According to Carlos, the cancellation of the exchange ultimately protects what he considers the No. 1 priority—the safety of all varsity student athletes. However, another factor that he also believes will be advantageous in the long run is “the fact that other IASAS schools will not be able to study our formation and tactics.”