This afternoon FIBA announced the men’s Asia Cup, which was scheduled to be played in Indonesia next month, has been postponed to July 2022.
A Tall Blacks squad was expected to depart for their Asia Cup campaign early next month, which included a camp in the Gold Coast. This has been put on hold – a decision reinforced by the Government’s announcement this afternoon that the Australian travel bubble has been suspended.
Head of High Performance, Leonard King, says Basketball New Zealand is supportive of FIBA’s decision.
“Firstly, our sympathies go out to the basketball community and people of Indonesia. We have been monitoring the COVID-19 outbreak over there for some weeks and they are facing a scary situation. Postponement of the Asia Cup is the sensible option.
“The Tall Blacks management and squad will meet next week to discuss next steps and preparations for the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in November,” says King.
While today’s two announcements are further examples of how COVID-19 continues to disrupt international sport, King added that it’s a reminder of what the rest of the world is facing.
“Tonight, the NBL final is being played in Porirua to a packed arena – it’s a reminder of how grateful we are to be able to host events like that in New Zealand.”
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