PH cagers gain berth to FIBA 3×3 Olympic qualifier

By Waylon Galvez

The Philippines was given an opportunity to make it to the men’s 3×3 competitions of the Tokyo Olympics after securing a slot in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament set March 2020 in India.

FIBA named the Philippines as one of 20 countries that will play in the OQT during an event held Friday in Utsunomiya, Japan.

The country was later bracketed in Pool C of the OQT along with Slovenia, France, the Dominican Republic and Qatar.

Three Olympic berths are at stake in the OQT while the final slot will come from the FIBA Universality-driven OQT.

Host Japan, China, Russia and Serbia were given direct spots to the Tokyo Olympics.

“We’re very happy that the Philippines will be competing in the upcoming Olympic Qualifying Tournament for a shot at making it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio.

“The 3×3 is an area where Filipino basketball players can really excel and we’re delighted that a Filipino basketball team will get to test their skills against the world’s best.”

Panlilio also lauded the efforts of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, the league that accumulated most of the points through the staging of four events and the participation of several teams in multiple FIBA 3×3 Challenger and World Tour events.

“The SBP thanks all the private promoters that held 3×3 events especially Chooks-To-Go led by Ronald Mascarinas. We’re proud of the joint effort from the Philippines basketball community that helped us reach this goal,” Panlilio added.

In a separate statement, Mascarinas credited those who paved the way for the Philippines’ entry to the OQT.

“We are extremely happy with this development,” said Mascarinas. “But we could not have done it without the combined efforts of everyone.

“We would like to thank the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas headed by chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and president Al, the numerous private promoters, all the players from Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3, and, of course, the Filipino people who supported us for the last nine months.”

Source: Manila Bulletin