Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) head Al Panlilio has been elected as the Second Vice President of the FIBA Asia Central Board after the recently concluded General Assembly in Bengaluru, India last weekend. The Draw Ceremony for the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 occurred during the same days.
It was announced on Monday, June 10 that Panlilio will now be a representative of not only the local sports industry, but Asian athletics as a whole, alongside re-elected Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani as President, Yao Ming as Chairman of the Zone Assembly, Akram Halabi from Lebanon as First Vice President, Abhijit Sarker from India as Chairman of the Finance Committee, and Xu Lan of China as a member of gender in minority. They will be in office from 2019 to 2023.
Panlilio shared in a statement that he is thankful “for the privilege and recognition of being voted as Second Vice President for the FIBA Asia Central Board,” saying, “I wish to thank FIBA Executive Director for Asia, Hagop Khajirian, for the support.”
He looks ahead, adding, “I am looking forward to working even more closely with Hagop and the rest of the FIBA Asia Board led by President Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani and hope I can contribute in the further development of basketball not only in Asia but globally, in alignment with FIBA HQ’s objective of making basketball the number one sport in the world.”
Special Assistant to the SBP President, Ryan Gregorio, also reacted to the news on the trust the Asian board has imparted to the Philippines, commenting, “I think it’s a great development for the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas because it shows that we are a respected member of the FIBA Asia family. ASP will be part of the policy-making body to ensure the continuous growth of basketball in the region and the trickle-down effect is better grassroots development, which will ultimately lead to better basketball being played in the region.”