PRESIDENTIAL Spokesman Atty. Harry Roque said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has granted the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas’s (SBP) request to host the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) Asia Cup qualifier next month in Clark.
But Roque stressed that based on IATF Resolution 114, the setup of the June 16 to 20 tournament “should be under a very strict bubble environment as recommended by the IATF technical working group.”
“Testing and quarantine protocols of arriving foreign participants shall be subject to the Fiba-required protocols,” Roque said.
The IATF also approved the request of the Philippine Basketball Association teams to hold 5-on-5 scrimmages in areas under modified general community quarantine or general community quarantine.
SBP President Al Panlilio thanked the IATF for approving the event and extended his gratitude to Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez and Deputy Chief Implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 Secretary Vince Dizon.
“The SBP has been working with Fiba, government agencies, and other partners to ensure a successful and, more importantly, a safe bubble,” Panlilio said in a statement coursed through his special assistant Ryan Gregorio.
We’re looking forward to hosting our friends from Groups A, B, and C and showing them the kind of hospitality that the Philippines is known for,” Panlilio added.
The Philippines, 3-0 won-lost in the first two windows, will face South Korea on June 16 and Indonesia on June 19 before playing South Korea again on June 20 in Group A that also includes Thailand.
The No. 1 and No. 2 teams at the end of the qualifiers from each group will move into the tournament proper.