by Paolo Barcelon, CNN Philippines
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 20) – Expect a bubble setup nearly identical to the one done by the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) for the country’s hosting of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers Group A and Group C tournaments this coming February.
This comes after the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, and the Philippine Basketball Association said the FIBA bubble in the Philippines will have minor additions from the setup implemented for the PBA bubble.
“There will be little FIBA-oriented equipment that will be needed, like the electronic scoreboard, for example. But other than that, we’re not supposed to ply (with) any other facility outside of what PBA used in its bubble,” Executive Director Sonny Barrios told reporters in an online press briefing held Saturday afternoon.
“The understanding is, we will host under the exact conditions and facilities within the PBA bubble. When FIBA asked us if we could host under PBA Bubble, they were looking at the arrangement of the bubble as is,” Barrios added.
Flooring from the Philippine Arena used inside the Angeles University Foundation gymnasium will be retained, but each of the eight national squads will be provided their own meeting room, changing room, and viewing room at the venue.
5G connectivity at the AUF gym will still be provided by telecommunications company Smart.
All participating teams will also be housed at the Quest Hotel in Clark, but one person will only be allowed inside each of the rooms instead of the two-per-room scheme used in the PBA bubble.
In remarks shown to members of the media, FIBA Executive Director for Asia Mr. Hagop Khajirian said the world’s governing body for basketball “greatly appreciate(s) the SBP approval for hosting Group C in the Philippines during Window 3 of FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers, besides hosting group A.”
“SBP’s positive and constructive stances whenever FIBA Asia is in need of your support is truly appreciated,” Khajirian added.
Stricter anti-COVID measures in the bubble
Organizers are also doubling down on protecting participants of the FIBA bubble from the threat of COVID-19.
The country’s testing czar and COVID-19 response Deputy Chief Implementer, Vince Dizon, said testing and health protocols done inside the PBA bubble will be heightened for the FIBA qualifiers, including but not limited to: regular testing of players and delegation members upon entering the bubble and during games, and mandatory isolation while waiting for COVID-19 RT-PCR test results.
It could be recalled that during the PBA bubble season this year, two false positive tests were recorded among the participants.
“We want to assure everybody that we will ensure the safety and health of everyone in the bubble. That is the first and most important objective that we have,” Dizon said. “And building on the success of the PBA bubble, gagawin pa nating mas istrikto at mas safe itong upcoming bubble na ito (We will make protocols stricter and safer for the upcoming bubble).”
The standard testing and isolation protocols for all arriving passengers from abroad will also be observed.
“If they turn out positive, then they need to go through the mandatory quarantine period and only after they are cleared will they be allowed to be released,” Dizon said.
SBP President Al Panlilio also said while FIBA has its own guidelines for hosting games, these rules will be combined with those implemented by the Philippine Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), subject to the IATF’s approval.
The Philippines will host teams from Group A which include the Gilas Pilipinas Men, and other teams from South Korea, Indonesia, and Thailand. They will also be joined by squads from Group C which is composed of men’s basketball teams from New Zealand, Australia, Guam, and Hong Kong.
Japan and Bahrain will also host FIBA Asia Cup qualifying games in February. The exact schedule of the games will be announced at a later date.
