The Philippines is set to host games for two groups in the third leg of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers with Clark, Pampanga as the venue.
FIBA, through a letter addressed by Executive Director-Asia Hagop Khajirian, disclosed Friday night, Feb. 12., that the international governing body has chosen the Philippines and Lebanon as the final destination for the third window.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas confirmed the development Saturday morning, Feb. 13., as the country is slated to host two groups while the Lebanese Basketball Federation will front the third group.
“SBP Chairman Emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan was really adamant about volunteering once again to host and it was under his leadership that led us to make the necessary moves to get the ball rolling again,” said SBP President Al Panlilio in a statement.
Four national basketball federations also gave proposals to FIBA following the last-minute cancellation of the qualifiers which include Groups A, B, and E in Doha, Qatar.
It will need at least extra 10 days for the schedule, including the groups and teams which will travel to the Philippines, and logistics to be finalized.
The SBP turned out as the top choice for FIBA since games were initially set in Clark before its first cancellation in late January and eventually switched hosting rights to Doha.
“We at the SBP did not wish for this to happen. We were perfectly fine with playing the role of competitor instead of host for the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers. However, know all too well the risks involved in planning an international sporting event during these extraordinary times,” said Panlilio.
Qatar was initially tasked to host Group E, where it joins, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iran, but needed to accommodate Group B, composed of Chinese Taipei, Japan, Malaysia, and China, as well when Tokyo became out of the option due to restrictions imposed by the Japanese authorities. Group B’s Chinese Taipei and Malaysia, however, withdrew from their campaign in Doha on Thursday, Feb. 11.
Group A, which features the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Korea, was also relocated to Doha when the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs also implemented travel restrictions because of the new COVID-19 UK variant.
Earlier on Friday, SBP stated that Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health has ordered to scrap the qualifiers due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in its country.
With a new set of protocols and lighter travel restrictions in the Philippines, the SBP managed to reclaim its hosting rights in Clark.
“What we have to remember during these difficult times that the entire international basketball community is part of one team,” said Panlilio. “We must do our best to help each other as much as we can. We know that our great fans from all over Asia draw a lot of inspiration from their respective national teams and this is why hosting these games holds a lot of value even during a pandemic.”
Gilas Pilipinas, leading with a 3-0 record, was initially scheduled to face South Korea (2-0) twice on Feb. 18 and 22 and Indonesia (1-2) on Feb. 20. Thailand hit rock bottom at 0-4 slate.
The Gilas pool led by Kiefer Ravena and five other PBA stars started its rigorous training at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna last Jan. 10.
