MANILA, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Tuesday cancelled its hosting of the third round of qualifiers for the 2021 Asia Cup basketball tournament due to tightened travel restrictions aimed at containing COVID-19.
The qualifying games had been scheduled for next month in a biosecure bubble in a former U.S. military base north of Manila.
“We’ve exerted a lot of effort into our hosting of the upcoming FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers and this is why it is with great sadness that we announce it is no longer going to happen,” Philippines basketball’s governing body said in a statement.
Concerns over new COVID-19 variants prevented the Philippine basketball body from securing government exemptions on travel curbs for visiting athletes.
The Asia Cup finals are scheduled to take place in Jakarta in August.
Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Peter Rutherford

Source: Reuters

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