Thailand confirms SEABA hosting

The Philippines will have to wait for its turn to host the Southeast Asia Basketball Association championship as Thailand has confirmed to the SEABA leadership that it’s hosting the event on May 24-28 in Rachaburi.

The BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas was informed of this development in a letter by SEABA secretary general Dato Yeoh Choo Hock dated March 7.

"I wish to thank you very much for strongly expressing your wish to host (SEABA). However, we just received the official confirmation from Thailand that they would host the event," said Yeoh in the letter addressed to SBP president Manny Pangilinan.

SBP had expressed its willingness to host SEABA after it was recognized by the International Basketball Association (FIBA) as the new national cage body and the suspension of the country in international play eventually lifted.

"It could have been nice to play before your countrymen. But whether we play here or elsewhere, we’ll take our chances," said PBA commissioner Noli Eala, an SBP trustee.

The Rachaburi joust is the elimination among Southeast Asian countries for two berths in the FIBA-Asia championship in July 26-Aug. 5 in Tokushima, Japan.

The Japan event, meanwhile, stakes two slots in the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the Asian region.

After unifying Philippine basketball, Filipino cage leaders set the country’s return to the Olympics as their ultimate goal.

The Philippines last played in the Olympics in 1972 in Munich, placing 13th among 16 countries. The Nationals, under coach Ning Ramos, beat Senegal and Japan in that tourney topped by Russia.