Panlilio elected vice president of FIBA Asia

MANILA, Philippines — Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) president Al Panlilio added another feather in his cap after he was elected second vice president in the powerful FIBA Asia Board during the Zone Assembly of FIBA Asia in Malaysia recently.

“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.

The man in charge of Philippine basketball said with his new position comes greater responsibility as he vowed to push for new projects, not only in the Philippines but the whole of Asia.

Part of his early goals is to further elevate the level of basketball competitions in Asia.

“I believe the 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 to three years,” Panlilio added.

Dr. K. Govindraj was elected to a four-year term as the new FIBA Asia president. He will succeed Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani, who has served Asian basketball for more than three decades.

Former NBA superstar Yao Ming of China was elected chairman while Akram Halabi will occupy the post as first vice president.

For a long time, FIBA has been adopting a strong approach in developing and boosting 5x5 and 3x3 competitions as well as women’s and youth tournaments.

Andreas Zagklis, FIBA secretary-general, cited the crucial role the Philippines will play in hosting the FIBA World Cup in August this year along with Japan and Indonesia.

“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,” he said.

Panlilio said preparations for the global event the Philippines last hosted in 1978 is in full swing.

The new FIBA Asia board members will join FIBA executive director for Asia, Hagop Khajirian, and the six Sub-Zone representatives – Yuko Mitsuya (EABA), Kho Poo Thai (SEABA), Tarif Koutrach (WABA), Abay Alpamyssov (CABA), Abhijit Sarker (SABA) and Dr. Ghassan Tashkandi (Gulf).