ACQ Clark Bubble to be Decided by IATF

Last January, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) announced that Clark's hosting of the final window of the 2021 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asia Cup qualifiers has been canceled due to the imposed travel restriction by the national government to prevent further entry of the new variants of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Gilas Pilipinas was supposed to fly last weekend for Doha, Qatar where they were supposed to play this week. That too was canceled. At the same time, FIBA announced that Clark is actually going to host a bubble after all.

However, the decision of whether or not a Clark bubble for the final window of the ACQ will be up to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases. On Monday, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire clarified this matter during a virtual press briefing.

"This is an IATF decision to make if it's going to be allowed,"

Undersecretary Vergeire also added, "We still need to sit down with other agencies of course but we have already issued a joint administrative order by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) together with the Department of Health so we can ensure that health protocols are implemented while we slowly open up this sector of society,"

The joint administrative order (JAO) that Vergeure was referring to was the June 2020 JAO that allowed the resumption of training of sports teams as long as they follow health and safety protocols. 

If the Clark bubble is to finally happen, this will take away the need for our national team to travel abroad and will give them more time to prepare. 

Photo is from FIBA