THE International Basketball Federation (Fiba) picked Clark as venue for the third window of the Asian 2021 qualifiers in February.
“We pitched for the hosting and we are elated that Fiba Asia has shown us the trust and confidence by giving it to us,”Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio told BusinessMirror on Friday.
“In partnership with government and Clark, we will ensure a safe environment for all the countries competing in the February 2021 windows,” Panlilio added.
Fiba, however, has yet to set the dates for the third window.
“We’re excited and proud that Clark has been chosen as venue of Fiba for the third window,” Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President Vince Dizon said. “We are also confident that with the world-class facilities and our experience in successfully hosting the PBA [Philippine Basketball Association] bubble, Clark is ready to host Fiba.”
The Philippines is unbeaten in Group A with victories over Indonesia (100-70) in the first window last February in Jakarta and Thailand twice (93-61 and 93-69) in Manama, Bahrain, recently. South Korea is also in Group A but skipped the second window because of Covid-19 pandemic fears.
Besides Group A, the bracket in Group C bannered by New Zealand, Guam, Hong Kong and Australia will also be held in the Clark Bubble—where it successfully hosted the recent Season 45 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup restart for more than two months since October 11.
Gilas Pilipinas will be facing Indonesia and South Korea in February. Tokyo, Manama and Doha are hosting the other games in the third window.
Japan will be in Group B along with Taiwan, Malaysia and China to be held in Tokyo, while Manama will still hold the games in bracket D with Lebanon, Bahrain, India and Iraq and then Group E matches composed of Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and host Qatar will be played in Doha.
Lebanon and Bahrain are the early entrants and the first to qualify directly for the Fiba Asia Cup 2021.
A total of 16 teams will qualify for the Fiba World Cup in November next year.