THE Inter-Agency Task Force has given the greenlight to the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to host the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers in June, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Friday.
The qualifiers will be held under a bubble set-up in Clark.
The competition will be subject to the Fiba protocols on testing and quarantine for arriving participants, Roque added.
Originally, the final window of the Fiba Asia Cup was supposed to be held last February but SBP gave up the hosting due to the country’s travel ban and the rising cases of COVID-19.
Qatar gained the hosting responsibility but postponed it a few days before the actual competition to the increase in COVID-19 cases during that time.
Fiba then re-granted the hosting duties to the Philippines for the final window of the Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers with Gilas Pilipinas facing Korea on June 16, and Indonesia on June 19. The host country will again take on Korea on June 20.
Gilas Pilipinas, which holds the top spot in Group A with a 3-0 record, is currently gearing up for the competition with practices inside a bubble set-up at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna.
The top two teams after the qualifiers in each group advance to the tournament proper.
___
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph