By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The Continental Cup Qualifiers windows of February are now in the books and FIBA corresponded to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic with impressive operational efforts throughout the globe to make it possible. Over 9000 total PCR tests have been conducted on 943 players, coaching staff and assistants across 14 bubbles created this February with 83 games in the course of 6 days.
Per fiba.basketball:
Another successful window of the FIBA Continental Cup Qualifiers is in the books with national teams having played exciting basketball on all five continents, despite the ongoing pandemic.
With the health and safety of all participants the top priority, a whopping 83 qualifying games featuring 74 teams and 943 players were held in protected environment bubbles and across 14 different cities on five continents, as per the September decision of the FIBA Executive Committee.
All 24 teams are now known for FIBA EuroBasket 2022 while 13 of the 16 teams are penciled in for FIBA AfroBasket 2021 and 11 of the 12 countries have spots secured in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022. With Asia having endured the heaviest disruption in the February window, three of the 16 teams are known.
The window was a success thanks to the continued implementation of extensive precautionary measures, developed by the FIBA Medical Commission after consultation with the World Health Organization, in all bubbles. A concerted effort by FIBA’s Regional Offices in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe demonstrated once again FIBA’s capacity to organize operations safely on such a large scale during difficult times.
While eight games were postponed in application of the Covid-19 Protocol for FIBA Official National Team and Club Competitions, the overall planning, stringent testing and execution allowed for most to be played. The requirements set forth with the FIBA Covid-19 Protocol and their stringent execution in cooperation with the Bubble Host allowed for the great majority of games to be played as scheduled.
As was the case in the November window, all athletes and team members had to present two negative COVID-19 tests before traveling to the bubbles – with one test done no later than 48 hours before the departure and another one five days previously. Participants were tested again upon arrival. More than 5,000 PCR tests were submitted before travelling and more than 4,000 PCR tests were organized on-site.
Photo: FIBA