FIBA Oceania assured teams and other concerned parties that the 2009 FIBA Oceania Tournament will go ahead as scheduled despite the withdrawals of three member-nations.<\/p>\n
Fiji, Tahiti, and Palau pulled out of the Oceania caging, which CNMI will be hosting from June 20 to 28, due to financial difficulties.<\/p>\n
\u201cFIBA Oceania announces with great reluctance and sadness the withdrawal of teams from Tahiti, Fiji, and Palau from the forthcoming FIBA Oceania Tournament to be played on Saipan,\u201d read the official statement FIBA Oceania sent to Saipan Tribune yesterday.<\/p>\n
FIBA Oceania secretary general Steve Smith reiterated that despite the withdrawals, the quadrennial tournament will still push through.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe FIBA Oceania tournament on Saipan will go ahead with 10 teams and each division (men\u2019s and women\u2019s) playing a full round of games and then a further top of the table elimination series leading to the medal rounds,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
Besides the CNMI, Guam, New Caledonia, Australia, and New Zealand will be fielding their men\u2019s and women\u2019s teams in the Oceania caging.<\/p>\n
Michael A. White, secretary general of Basketball Association of Northern Mariana Islands, which is in charge of organizing the Oceania caging here, said BANMI is still positive about the event and vowed to run a good show despite the withdrawals of three nations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are still looking forward to a great tournament. We will have the chance to play our traditional rival Guam, as well as perennial powerhouse New Caledonia. With the new tournament format, we will get the opportunity to measure ourselves against both Australia and New Zealand. CNMI basketball fans will still get the chance to watch the Pacific\u2019s best in action,\u201d White said in an email to Saipan Tribune.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to do our best to show our off-island guests some real CNMI hospitality by putting out a tournament that everyone who comes will remember\u2014and everyone who doesn\u2019t come will be sorry they missed,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Smith in the same media release said FIBA Oceania understood the three nations\u2019 decision, saying financial difficulties around the world is truly having an impact on the sporting life of Pacific Island athletes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people in developed countries do not fully understand the difficulties faced by team sports in the Oceania region in trying to conduct regular competitions. With many Pacific Island nations having an average income per capita of less than $5,000, to ask an athlete or their parents to spend $2,000 or $3,000 on airfare to go to an international competition is a huge ask. And during these uncertain economic times, the desire to cut down on spending is even more understandable,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
In this situation, Smith can\u2019t help but feel sad for individuals\/groups who tried to pull out all their resources just to make the trip, but still fell short.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have great sympathy for the administrators in these countries who have had to make an obviously difficult call. I have an even greater sympathy for the players, coaches, and referees who will be denied the chance to compete against Australia and New Zealand. This is an opportunity which only comes around once every four years and for some players, it may be their chance of a lifetime,\u201d said Smith.<\/p>\n
Smith added the withdrawals of Palau, Fiji, and Tahiti is a wake-up call for the zone, which may have to review its competition structure to cope with the financial crisis it is experiencing right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cFIBA Oceania will need to examine its competition structure to see if it is viable under existing economic conditions in the Pacific. With the Oceania Youth Tournament hosting given to New Caledonia in October 2010, certainly there\u2019s a need to avoid a similar situation for that event,\u201d FIBA Oceania\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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