QATAR begged off from hosting the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Cup qualifiers, giving the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) fresh hopes of bringing the games back to the Clark bubble.
“Yes,” was SBP President Al Panlilio’s reply when asked by BusinessMirror if the federation would again bid for the qualifiers that it was supposed to host but was also canceled because of travel restrictions.
The SBP, in a statement sent to BusinessMirror on Friday, said it already got a letter from the Fiba, through a letter signed by its Executive Director-Asia Hagop Khajirian, informed on Friday all participating nations in Groups A, B, and E that the Ministry of Public Health in Qatar has ordered to cancel all events because of the increasing cases of Covid-19 in the country.
Doha was supposed to host the games from February 17 to 22.
The SBP was supposed to host the Group B games with South Korea and Indonesia also this month, but travel bans were imposed. The federation was also confident that the Qatar qualifiers would push through and ordered the national pool to undergo training at the Inspire Sports Academy bubble in Calamba.
“We are looking at hosting the games maybe next month, still in Clark,” Panlilio said.
“But the SBP is saddened by the development especially because we know the kind of work that our Gilas Pilipinas men’s pool has done in Calamba,” he said. “The players and coaching staff have all sacrificed so much in this process as they’ve been apart from their families to represent the Philippines against South Korea and Indonesia.”
Panlilio added: “We are hoping that the rise of Covid-19 cases in their country ceases soon. Although we are saddened by the situation, we also understand the predicament faced by the Qatar Basketball Federation as they had no choice but to follow the mandate of their government.”
“That’s a very sad development because I am personally excited. This is a rare opportunity to represent your country. But it’s for our safety,” Phoenix Super LPG slot man Justin Chua, one of the 20 players inside the bubble, said.
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