HEEDING the call of select teams, the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) has followed suit in temporarily suspending its season in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement released on Friday, the regional league announced its decision to halt the tournament with a growing number of participating teams from countries already dealing with the outbreak.
"With the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 as a global pandemic, the ABL, with the unanimous support of all its member teams, sees no other recourse but to halt competitions in its ongoing tenth season," it read.
"With the safety of our teams and fans in mind, the league has followed every protocol, obeyed travel restrictions, and erred on the side of caution at every step to protect everyone involved," the statement continued.
"This unprecedented situation demanded due diligence from the ABL’s part to ensure that the voice of all stakeholders will be heard and their needs met. All teams needed ample time to sort out their contracts as they also have commitments to advertisers, venues, and broadcast partners that had to be ironed out before we reached a unified decision."
Four teams, namely San Miguel Alab Pilipinas, Hong Kong Eastern, Macau Black Bears, and Formosa Dreamers have urged the ABL to follow suit after leagues like the PBA and NBA suspended their seasons.
With the postponement, Alab allowed its imports and foreign-based players to go back home while the league is on a stoppage.
On Friday, Alab team owner Charlie Dy posted a photo on Instagram bidding Justin Brownlee, John Fields, and Fil-Am Jason Brickman a safe flight.
Brownlee and Fields have yet to play a single game this season since coming in as replacement imports.
Actually, only one ABL game has been played after February 23. After that the league has explored new ways to remain in operation while dealing with the virus, mulling staging games in neutral venues or behind closed doors.
The ABL was forced to cancel more games after Singapore Slingers World Import Jameel McKay was placed under observation as he was on the same flight as an infected passenger in a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Singapore.
"The ABL explored all options in an effort to continue to deliver top-quality basketball and entertainment to our loyal fans. The league looked at booking neutral venues where multiple teams could play some of their postponed games. However, the travel restrictions in the region, the quarantine requirements upon the teams’ return to their respective countries, and heeding the advice of multiple government institutions have led to the decision to suspend our season," it read.
"We thank all the teams for their patience and their willingness to exhaust all means to push through. The ABL will be closely monitoring the situation in the region as it plots a path to move forward."
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