Questions lingered over whether the International Basketball Federation could pull off its qualifiers for the continental cups amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
But as the dust settled last December 1, 78 games had taken place, featuring 72 teams and 870 players from Asia, the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
So how was FIBA able to pull this off?
The successful and consistent implementation of extensive precautionary measures, developed by the FIBA Medical Commission after consultation with the World Health Organization, in all bubbles led to only four games postponed in the application of the Covid-19 Protocol for FIBA Official National Team and Club Competitions.
This was a testament to FIBA’s capacity to organize operations safely on such a large scale, with its Regional Offices in the four zones.
In preparation for the Qualifiers, 18 webinars were organized to increase the understanding and awareness of the COVID-19 protocols among the hosts, participating National Federations, and local authorities, with more than 400 participants in total.
To ensure a safe environment in the bubbles, all athletes and team members had to present two negative COVID-19 tests before traveling to the bubbles. One test had to be no later than 72 hours before the departure, with another one five days previously. Participants were tested again upon arrival.
More than 5,000 PCR tests were submitted before traveling, and more than 4,000 PCR tests were organized on-site.
During the Continental Cup Qualifiers, FIBA was able to draw upon its past experience in successfully organizing events in bubbles from the FIBA 3×3 World Tour 2020, the Basketball Champions League Qualifiers, and Final 8, as well as the recently-concluded FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers.
With the pandemic still raging on, the final window in February will also be played in bubbles in order to ensure the health and safety of all participants.
