DAHIL pa rin sa coronavirus disease 2019 o COVID-19, sinuspinde na ang Asean Basketball League (ABL) at maging ang Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA).
Naging “unanimous” o nagkaisa ang mga miyembrong koponan ng ABL na itigil na muna ang mga laro para na rin sa kapakanan ng lahat sa gitna ng lumalalang problema sa coronavirus sa buong mundo.
“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 ABL was one of the first leagues to react to the current health crisis with the postponement of more than 50 games that started early February. Only a single ABL game has been played after February 23,” ayon sa pahayag ng ABL.
Bago magdesisyon ay kinonsulta muna ng ABL ang lahat ng kanilang stakeholders, kasama na rito ang mga advertisers, venues, at broadcast partners.
“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.
We thank all the teams for their patience and their willingness to exhaust all means to push through,” dagdag na pahayag ng ABL.
Nauna rito, nagpalabas din ng pahayag ang FIBA kaugnay sa pagkansela sa lahat ng kanilang torneo simula March 13.
Ito’y bilang reaksyon sa pagdedeklara ng World Health Organization sa COVID-19 outbreak na isa nang pandemic.
Tiniyak ng federation na patuloy silang magmomonitor at pag-aaralan kung kailan muling itutuloy ang mga nakatakdang torneo.
“FIBA will continue to monitor the situation on a daily basis and will evaluate the options for the continuation or not of the respective competitions when and if the situation allows for it,” ayon pa sa FIBA.
Nauna nang sinuspinde ng FIBA ang kanilang 3×3 Olympic qualifiers at ni-reschedule ang 3×3 Asia Cup at 3×3 U17 Asia Cup sa September. Kanselado na rin ang FIBA U16 Asian Championships for men and women.
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