Gilas Pilipinas to play in Doha, Qatar for February window of FIBA qualifiers

Gilas Pilipinas will now play its games for the February window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in Doha, Qatar.

The event had to switch to a new venue after the Philippines was unable to host the Groups A and C in Clark, Pampanga due to COVID-19 travel restrictions imposed by the government.

Gilas and the rest of Group A (Korea, Thailand, Indonesia) will play in Doha, which will also host Group B (Japan, China, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia) as Tokyo was similarly unable to host games.

This brings the total number of groups playing in Qatar to three, as the country is already hosting Group E (Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia).

"We would have loved to host Groups A and C in Clark but things beyond our control made it necessary to adjust our plans and we thank everyone for their flexibility," said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio in a press release.

"The games will be played within the same timeframe but we'll be communicating with the Qatar Basketball Federation for the final schedule as there might be necessary adjustments since they are now hosting 12 teams," he added.

The third window of the qualifiers is scheduled from February 17 to February 23.

Gilas Pilipinas currently sits on top of Group A with three wins in three games. The team is set to face Korea and Indonesia in its remaining matches.

—MGP, GMA News