THE country's preparation for the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament remains hanging in the balance following the world governing body for basketball's decision to reschedule all coming 3x3 events due to the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus.
FIBA announced on Wednesday that two of the five legs of the 3x3 World Tour are now being eyed for an August and October staging, which could further push back the qualifying meet for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
"The (FIBA) Central Board announced that it will continue its discussions with the IOC (International Olympic Committee (IOC) in order to find the best solution for the scheduling of the remaining Olympic qualifying tournaments (including two for 3x3)," FIBA said in a statement.
PBA players CJ Perez and Moala Tautuaa teamed up with Joshua Munzon and Alvin Pasaol to form the Philippine 3x3 team.
Perez and Tautuaa were with the Gilas Pilipinas 3x3 team that won the inaugural gold in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
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The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has named Serbian coach Stefan Stojaiic and conditioning coach Darko Krsman to oversee the training program of the team.
The qualifier was originally set in Bengaluru, India last March 18 to 22 but was cancelled following the growing cases of the coronavirus.
"FIBA will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation on a daily basis and evaluate the options for the lifting of the suspension of competitions when the situation allows for it," the statement added.
The Tokyo Olympics has likewise been moved to July 23 to August 8, 2021 due to the worldwide pandemic.(RG)
