Participating teams will be tested at least six times during the course of the Group A and B matches of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Deputy Executive Director Butch Antonio said this following the arrival of the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team, which is one of the early squads that came in early for the five-day cagefest.
Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests will be done on coaches, players and team officials three times before they arrive for the competitions, set from June 16 to 20 at the Angeles University Foundation gymnasium.
“FIBA has set stringent protocols pre-departure from their place of origin, during the tournament, and before they leave for home,” said Antonio during a pre-tournament virtual presser on Zoom.
Antonio talked about the strict health measures to make sure that no athletes, coach or officials get sick of COVID-19. He was with Bases Conversion Development Authority president and CEO Vince Dizon, CDC president and CEO Manuel Gaerlan and SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios.
So far, participants in the Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers have confirmed their 12-player rosters heading into the final stretch of the group stage, which will be held behind closed doors both in the Philippines and Jordan.
Teams in Groups A and B will play at Angeles City Foundation Gym in Clark City, Philippines. The first game to be played there will be between the Philippines and Korea on June 16 (Wednesday). The hosts meet Korea again on June 20.
The two teams that finish at the top of the standings in each group will directly qualify for the Asia Cup 2021, while the six last-placed teams in each group are eliminated.
Cagers from China were the first to arrive at 1:20 p.m. on Sunday on a chartered China Southern Airlines plane, before South Korean players came in on board a chartered Jeju Airlines plane at 3:20 p.m. at the Clark International Airport.
A 25-man Japanese contingent was expected to plane in Sunday night.
There are already seven members of Indonesia, who checked in last Saturday.
Hostilities in the Clark window will commence on Wednesday, while the Group B showdown between China and Japan will be at 4:30 p.m.
So far, all delegation members have tested negative in their RT-PCR tests before they board their flights. They were tested again upon their arrival at the Quest Hotel, which will host the athletes’ billeting and accommodations.
