BAP vows to pursue basketball program

Its stake as the rightful amateur cage body in the country affirmed recently by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) hopes to move on from here and leave behind the bad memory of what had been a messy and complicated issue involving another basketball group.

A lot of work has to be done, afterall.

"Of course (it’s a sigh of relief)," admitted BAP secretary-general Graham Lim at the weekly PSA Forum at the Manila Pavilion, a day after POC president Celso Dayrit upheld the recognition of the association as the legitimate amateur basketball body in the country as per the advice of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"Ngayon tuluy-tuloy na po ang programa ng BAP."

BAP vice-president Christian Tan and lawyer Bonifacio Alentajan, joined by RP Young men’s team coach Joe Lipa in the public sports program sponsored by Agfa and Red Bull, expressed the same sentiment as the two of them look forward of putting back in order the cage body’s programs that were disrupted in the aftermath of its legal battle with the Basketball Association of the Philippines Inc. (BAPI) under Nic Jorge.

"We’re happy that Mr. Dayrit settled the issue once for all. We need peace in local basketball," said Tan.

"Pagod na rin naman tayo sa ganitong gulo," Alentajan added.

Fresh from his trip in Athens where he attended a meeting among Olympic officials, Dayrit on Monday issued a statement upholding the POC’s previous stand recognizing the BAP as the country’s rightful amateur cage body following a consultation with key IOC honchos.

"The IOC advice is consistent with the position of the POC that while the Olympic movement represented by the IOC and NOCs must respect the prevailing laws of the country, the NOC must always adhere to the provisions of the Olympic Charter," Dayrit stressed.

"Rules 32 and 33 of the Olympic Charter provides that for the NOC to recognize and accept an NSA as its member, the latter must be accredited by its relevant international federation and that it must be adduced that the NSA has a specific and real activity undertaking the development of its sport locally and internationally.

Meanwhile, Lipa, one of the finest coaches ever to grace Philippine basketball, yesterday said he still believes that an all-amateur team, if given all the needed support, can someday bring the country back on top of Asian basketball.

The temperamental coach said that while the best local talents are indeed in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), those in the amateur ranks still hold the key to victory.