FIBA lauds SBP for successful Asia Cup qualifiers hosting

MANILA, Philippines — International basketball federation FIBA expressed its appreciation to the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas Inc. (SBP) after its successful hosting of the third window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

Held in Clark City, Pampanga from June 16 to June 20, the Philippines played hosts to Groups A and B.

Seven teams were hosted by the SBP in a bubble including Gilas Pilipinas, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan, and Chinese Taipei.

Malaysia, who is part of Group B, did not participate in the third window.

Thank you FIBA for trusting the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to host window 3 of the #FIBAAsiaCup 2021 Qualifiers! We are excited to be part of the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 in Indonesia! #ParaSaBayan #Puso pic.twitter.com/ihVxMOT2IM

— SBP (@officialSBPinc) June 24, 2021

"Having organized such an impressive event, especially during these challenging times, involves enourmous amounts of time and energy which contributed substantially to its success," wrote Hagop Khajirian, FIBA Executive Director for Asia.

The Philippines was supposed to host the third window in February before it was moved to Doha due to travel restrictions here.

However, rising cases of COVID-19 in Doha led to the qualifiers being stalled until it was announced that the hosting was given back to SBP when the hostilities resumed this month.

FIBA also congratulated SBP after Gilas Pilipinas punched their ticket to the regional tournament set in Indonesia this August.

"All your diligent work and commitment are [sic] paid off," wrote Khajirian.

The Nationals are now en route to Belgrade, Serbia where they will play in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament slated June 29 to July 2, Manila time.

Gilas will face off against hosts Serbia and the Dominican Republic on July 1 and July 2 Manila time, respectively.