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| FIBA 3x3 chief Ignacio Soriano and Bounty Agri Ventures Inc. (BAVI) President Ronald Mascariñas during the press conference for the 2019 Chooks-To-Go FIBA 3x3 Manila Masters (Image Source: Tiebreaker Times) |
Following its successful staging in 2020 and eventual debut as a professional sports league, Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3 League has been officially recertified by FIBA (Federacion Internationale De Basketball) as its 3x3 partner in the Philippines. FIBA 3x3 chief Ignacio Soriano lauded and praised the efforts of the three-year-old league headed by Bounty Agri Ventures Inc. (BAVI) president Ronald Mascariñas in paving the way for the Philippines to garner enough points to qualify for the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament which will be held on May 26-30, 2021 in Graz, Austria.
Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3 League held the distinction of being the second professional sports league in the Philippines after being approved and certified by the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) considering that only professional sports leagues are mandated to resume their events amidst the continuing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The league has successfully put together the President's Cup at a bubble inside the Inspire Sports Academy Gymnasium in Calamba, Laguna with its games being delivered to a wider audience via Facebook, YouTube and BEAM TV. Soriano considered the fan experience inside the Chooks-To-Go 3x3 bubble not only particularly eye-catching, but also as an inspiration for forthcoming FIBA 3x3 events.
For 2021, Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3 League is in a rebuilding stage. Though there may be new faces coming to showcase their skills and prowess, its goal remains the same and that is to quality for the 2024 Paris Olympics. One of the key point-garnering events that the league will host is the 2021 Chooks-To-Go FIBA 3x3 Manila Masters scheduled to take place within the second or third quarter of the year. FIBA is also looking forward to its partnership with the league that will further develop the sport of 3x3 basketball to the Philippines and across the globe. For Mascariñas, the league will continue helping FIBA 3x3 to groom more Filipinos to the sport.
The newly-forged partnership between FIBA 3x3 and Chooks-To-Go Pilipinas 3x3 League comes a week after the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) announced details for the inaugural season of its 3x3 division. According to Asia's first pay-to-play professional basketball league, 3x3 competitions will be held between conferences with all twelve franchises as well as four or five guest teams slated to take part. Interestingly, the league has appointed former Chooks 3x3 commissioner Eric Altamirano as its 3x3 tournament director. Meanwhile, PBA 3x3 division head and Alaska team governor Dickie Bachmann confirmed that the league has reached out to FIBA for the development of the said competition.
