FIBA Olympic Qualifiers Pushed Back to 2021

This is no longer a surprise considering how things are shaping up.

With the Tokyo Olympics long moved for 2021 instead of July 2020, and with most of the basketball leagues around the world on an indefinite hiatus due to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, everything basically got pushed back by one year. At the very least.

Among the basketball events that have been pushed are the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)- sanctioned tournaments such as the FIBA Asia Cup and recently, the FIBA Olympic Qualifiers.

After a careful analysis of the current situation among other things, the FIBA Executive Committee who met via a video conference announced that the FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament will be played from June 22 to July 4 of 2021 depending on whether or not the said dates will be approved by the International Olympic Committee

This is another FIBA-sanctioned tournament that has been moved following the rescheduling of the FIBA Asia Cup and both the 2021 FIBA EuroBasket and the 2021 FIBA AmeriCup to September of 2022. All of the FIBA-sanctioned tournaments will be rescheduled with the lone exception of the FIBA World Cup which will happen from August 25 to September 10, 2023, where the Philippines will be one of the host countries.

If anything, 2021 will surely be a big year of basketball in general and one way or another, the pushing back of the games will benefit the teams who are competing as it will give them more time to prepare and more importantly, their safety is being prioritized so that they can provide us with an exciting competition come 2021.

Photo is from Times of India