Gilas Pilipinas’ stint at the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament shall depend on the decision of the next president of the Philippines’ governing body for basketball, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.
This is according to incumbent SBP President Manny V. Pangilinan Thursday after the SBP’s stakeholders convened for a meeting.
Pangilinan’s contract as President of the SBP is already expired last February although the SBP did not hold elections due to a busy schedule.
Pangilinan added he will not be running as President of the SBP again, and that the organization needs “fresh blood for Philippine basketball.”
MVP: "Perhaps the new membership needs fresh blood for Philippine basketball" @spinph
— Reuben Terrado (@reubensports) October 8, 2015
Teams invited to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament have until October 18 to signify intention to join.
Already in the tournament are France, Serbia, Greece, Italy, Serbia, Czech Republic, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Angola, Tunisia, Senegal, Iran, Japan, the Philippines, and New Zealand.
A handful of countries have already expressed to host one of the three tournaments, like Turkey, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines.
This is the first time FIBA is taking 18 teams after a tweak in the format. In the previous editions, only 12 teams compete in a single tournament with the top three teams advancing to the Olympics.
Pangilinan says in his opinion, one of the main reasons for choosing not to join the OQT is the quality of competition.
Earlier, MVP also expressed reluctance to join OQT because of quality of competition. "Hindi ko nmn sinasabing no pero lets be realistic"
— Reuben Terrado (@reubensports) October 8, 2015
But the basketball patron leaves the decision to the next SBP head.
