For not sending a basketball team to the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia this August, the Philippine Olympic Committee expects not only sanctions from the Olympic Council of Asia, but the wrath of Filipino fans.
POC president Ricky Vargas said they are sending an official communication to the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (Inasgoc) confirming the decision not to send a men’s basketball squad to the Asiad, where the Filipinos are bracketed in Group B alongside reigning silver medalist Iran, Syria, and United Arab Emirates.
“I think there will be a monetary sanction. What I don’t know is if there will be a sanction outside a fine,” said Vargas, who admitted that not sending a team to Asian Games is an unpopular decision.
The POC chief said understanding the principle behind the decision of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas will ease the pain of not having sent one.
“They (SBP) thought na maybe it’s best not to send. It’s all about, in principle, building up one step back and building for the future. Maybe unpopular, but they have to make that decision,” said Vargas. “I appreciate what the SBP is doing. They are looking forward to strengthening our future instead of looking at all this current and try to manage what is current. Naiintindihan ko rin ang disappointment ng tao. But this is the time now to look at long-term plans.”
The SBP, led by its president Alfredo Panlilio, said in a statement late Thursday that they made the decision “to allow our National Team and our organization to regroup, prepare for the process of appealing the FIBA Disciplinary Panel’s recent Decision, and aim for sustainable success in future tournaments.”
The decision comes a few days after the FIBA, the world governing body in basketball, sanctioned SBP with a P13-million fine after the FIBA Disciplinary Panel suspended 13 players and 2 coaches, from the Gilas Pilipinas and the Australian Boomers.
The suspensions and fines were handed to the Philippines and Australia for figuring in a brawl midway through the third quarter of their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifier at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan last July 2.
Officials believe that joining the Asiad at this time will not maximize the national squad’s exposure.
“We have reached the conclusion that, with the foregoing considered and after consulting with the basketball community, the time and chance to participate in the 2018 Asian Games would not be optimal,” said the SBP in their statement.
SBP was supposed to tap the nucleus of the Rain or Shine squad and Fil-American cager Jordan Clarkson of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Asiad.
The SBP even appointed NLEX coach Yeng Guiao and Rain or Shine Coach Caloy Garcia to call the shots for the team.
Guiao was said to be pushing for the inclusion of players from other ballclubs, such as Stanley Pringle, Paul Lee, JuneMar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter in order to be competitive against the national teams of Asian countries, but the PBA stuck to its original plan of allowing only one team (Rain or Shine) to the Games.
“In the last board meeting, one team lang para hindi masira ang schedule. TNT, hindi puwede, ‘yung number one team [Rain or Shine] pumayag, sila ang kinuha. One team lang talaga ang policy,” said PBA commissioner Willie Marcial.