Philippines, 13 Sep 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Basketball team's withdrawal from Asiad can jeopardize country's relations with OCA


PhilBoxing.com



Ricky Vargas.

It was a bad, ill-advised decision.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced that it will no longer send a team to the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia ? a decision that may jeopardize the country?s standing with the Olympic Council of Asia (formerly Asian Games Federation) to which it has been a member since its inception in 1949.

The Philippines, in fact, is one of only two oldest members of the OCA, the other being Japan.

The 2018 edition of the Asian Games will open in August 18 and it is presumed that every single detail of the 18th staging of the quadrennial competitions among the best and the finest athletes from the 45-member nations of the region had been ironed out and finalized and, therefore, any changes in the schedule of events due to withdrawal, etc, will definitely disrupt the entire proceeding.

Under OCA's constitution and rules, withdrawal of an entry without consent shall be subjected to disciplinary actions.

Section 10 of Article 57 states: "The withdrawal of a duly entered delegation, Team or Athletes without the consent of the OCA, shall be the subject of disciplinary action as envisaged by the EB (Executive Board)."

According to the same by-laws, the EB can impose "financial and other penalties on any NOC (National Olympic Committee) which withdraws its team as in a whole from team competitions after the draw is completed. The penalty will be decided by the EB, on a case by case basis."

Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas, whose position makes him, among others, not only the representative of the OCA in the country, but guardian as well of all its rules, expects monetary consideration in terms of fines that might be imposed as penalty for the pull out.

Forgetting, perhaps, or not informed of the the other half of the provision stating: ?xxx and other penalties on any National Olympic committee (NOC) which withdraws its team in a whole, from team competition AFTER THE DRAW IS COMPLETED (underscoring, this writer), the penalty will be decided by the Executive Board, on a case by case basis.?

Mr. Vargas, who welcomed the decision to withdraw, assured that the rest of the Philippine delegation will not be affected by this sudden pull-out.

Fine, but what about its effect on the four-year preparations host Indonesia undertook that, definitely, will disrupt the entire hosting of he Games and need re-doing with barely three weeks prior to the opening ceremonies?

Reason for the PH team pull out was centered on the suspension FIBA meted out on 10 national players, their assistant coach and head coach as an offshoot of the tumultuous melee that punctuated the Philippine-Autralia FIBA qualifying matchup the country hosted early this month.

The initial plan was to send a core of TNT players but everything changed after FIBA handed out suspensions on Gilas players, including TNT's Jayson Castro, Terrence Romeo, Troy Rosario, and Roger Pogoy.

While the sanctions do not apply to the Asian Games, SBP decided not to send the suspended players to not further compound the issue. It added it planned to appeal the FIBA verdict and is the process of preparing for such plea for reconsideration.

Sports leaders, sportsmen, meanwhile, as well as former payers denounced the withdrawal as a bad, and ill-advised decision that compromises the country relations with OCA and even Olympic member nations.

?Simple lang. Participating in the Asian Games, Olympic Games and the likes is national commitment," former Philippine Sports Commission chair and Southeast Asian Games only back-to-back Most Outstanding Male Athlete awardee as a swimmer Eric Buhain, emphasized.

?Even if hindi sumuporta ang PBA to lend their players (which they did, actually) for the country naman, we should send a team, we can even send a college team if only to value our commitment,? Buhain said in a text message sent to this writer.

Robert Mananquil, secretary of the Billiards and Snooker Confederation and POC executive board member, shared Buhain?s sentiment saying the decision is ?very unsportsmanlike.?

Mananquil even citing the Olympic Creed: ?The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.?

Former national basketball coaches Joe Lipa and Arnel Vanguardia considered the SBP move as ?a sad day for Philippine basketball.?

So did youth baseball godfather Rodolfo ?Totoy? Tingzon Sr. who said the decision saddened him because ?the Philippines is known all over the world as the basketball capital in Asia an the Filipinos lover of the sport non-pariel.?

Many-time national cagers Jimmy Mariano, Felix Flores, Jimmy Manansala and Chito Bugia and basketball guru Orly Castelo all believe Asiad participation is imperative otherwise, ?we?ll lose our sports diplomacy among our Asian neighbors and sportsmanship to the host country.?

Des Bautista, whose family owns the University of Baguio and a high-ranking basketball and chess development official during his days, said since the decision to withdraw was part of the PH-Australia basketbrawl, ?maybe we should review our understanding of the word sports and that of being hosts.?


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Vietnam’s Pool Revolution: Hanoi Open Pool Championship
    , Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • SUNDAY: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Undisputed Super Bantamweight Showdown to Stream Exclusively on Top Rank’s Facebook Channel in the U.S. & UK
    , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • National Shelter Month Run on October 25 in DGT
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
    By Dong Secuya, , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • BELFAST PRESS CONFERENCE: EVERYTHING LEWIS CROCKER AND PADDY DONOVAN SAID AHEAD OF HISTORIC WORLD TITLE SHOWDOWN
    , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • GABRIELA “SWEET POISON” FUNDORA TO DEFEND UNDISPUTED CROWN AGAINST HIGHLY RANKED NEW FOE ALEXAS “IRON LADY” KUBICKI
    , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • Chino Sy Tancontian is Sports Hero of the Year 2025
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 12 Sep 2025
  • Two (or Three) Lefts Make a Right: Francisco Guilledo to Luisito Espinosa
    By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Yoseline Perez Advances to 2025 World Boxing Championships Semifinals
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • UNIFIED WORLD CHAMPION OSCAR COLLAZO HOSTS MEDIA WORKOUT
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Jerwin Ancajas Set for IBF Mandatory Eliminator Against Former World Champ Ryosuke Nishida; Winner Fights Naoya Inoue
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • “Night of Champions” Returns to Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando on September 19
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Local Favorite Bryce Mills Tops First Boxing Card At del Lago Resort & Casino
    , Thu, 11 Sep 2025
  • Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: It´s Fightweek Fight: Canelo vs. Crawford
    By Mauricio Sulaimán, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Casimero comeback next month in Kyrgyzstan?
    By Nick Giongco, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Team USA Concludes Day Six of 2025 World Boxing Championships
    , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Andrade, Garras rule Milo marathon in Tagum
    , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • CROCKER-DONOVAN II: INSIDE LOOK AT FIRST FACE-OFF IN BELFAST
    , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Former Panamanian WBA champ Jorge Lujan hospitalized
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025
  • Southern Sports Heroes Night on Sept. 28
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 10 Sep 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.