May 27 ------ SAMAHANG Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio has been elected second vice-president in the FIBA Asia board for the 2023-2027 term during the recent Zone Assembly of FIBA in Asia in Kuala Lumpur.
Dr. K. Govindraj was elected president, succeeding outgoing FIBA Asia head Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani, who has served Asian basketball for more than 30 years. Yao Ming was elected chairman, while Akram Halabi will serve as first vice-president.
“It is an honor to be elected in the board of members of FIBA Asia to help the federation continue promoting the game of basketball and camaraderie in the region and the world," said Panlilio. Panlilio said being part of the FIBA Asia board comes with a huge responsibility to push for development of new projects, not only in the country but in Asia, that would elevate the level of basketball competition in the region. Over the years, FIBA has been adopting a wholistic approach in developing and organizing 5x5, 3x3, women’s and youth basketball tournaments.
“I believe SBP also needs to strengthen its basketball development programs especially for the youth in anticipation and preparation for forthcoming competitions in the region in the next two, three years,” Panlilio added.
FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis highlighted the crucial role the Philippines will be playing in hosting the FIBA World Cup in August this year. “We play this year our biggest event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 3 Asian countries. The Philippines, Japan and Indonesia and this will be the first time in three countries combining together almost 500 million people. It will be an unprecedented event in terms of quality for the players and the fans,” Zagklis said.
Panlilio said preparation for the prestigious global basketball event is in full swing and SBP urges all basketball stakeholders in the country to be united to ensure the successful hosting of the event.
The new elected FIBA Asia board members will be joining FIBA executive director for Asia Mr. Hagop Khajirian and the six Sub-Zone representatives, namely Ms. Yuko Mitsuya (EABA), Mr. Kho Poo Thai (SEABA), Mr. Tarif Koutrach (WABA), Mr. Abay Alpamyssov (CABA), Mr. Abhijit Sarker (SABA) and Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi (Gulf), to the board.
Source: spin.ph
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