PH to host 3rd leg of FIBA Asia Qualifiers

The Philippines will host the 3rd and final window of the FIBA Asia Qualifiers this coming February 18-22, 2021, to be held at Clark in Pampanga.

The country will welcome players from the two groups for the last leg. These are Group A, where the Philippines is bracketed together with South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, and Group C, comprised of New Zealand, Australia, Guam and Hong Kong.

Just like the last window, it will be played under a “bubble” format since large audiences are still not welcome in sporting venues in view of the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The other venues for the other qualifiers are Manama in Bahrain, Tokyo, Japan and Doha in Qatar.

For its part, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) thanked the world basketball governing body for its decision to choose the Philippines to hold the final leg of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

“The SBP is honored and humbled,” says SBP president Al Panlilio, who also thanked FIBA for trusting the country to “host not just a successful tournament, but more importantly, a safe one.”

The country’s national basketball federation is also looking at the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) to share its expertise in mounting a “bubble” format basketball tournament.

The PBA organized the recently-concluded PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) Sport Center and Cultural Arena in Angeles, Pampanga, a first for Asia’s first play-for-pay league. The players were billetted at the Quest Hotel and Conference Center inside Clark, Pampanga.

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