POC to decide BAP fate today?

The Philippine Olympic Committee may decide as early as today whether or not the Basketball Association of the Philippines or any of its officials should be penalized for an alleged failure to honor a previous agreement regarding the formation of the national team in two forthcoming international tournaments.

The POC board the other day gave its president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco "full authority" to resolve the issue which has put the country’s preparations for the SEABA meet and even the SEA Games to be held here in Novermber momentarily in the backseat.

Graham Lim, the BAP secretary-general who is fighting deportation, was scheduled to meet POC chairman Robert Aventajado yesterday afternoon. Lim was expected to lay down the BAP’s official stand on the raging controversy on behalf of its president Tiny Literal.

The BAP can either stand firm on its decision to form its own team and name its own coach to represent the country in the two tournaments or it can turn around and say that it will work and cooperate with the newly-formed basketball committee.

Aventajado will then present the BAP stand to Cojuangco in a separate meeting scheduled in the evening. Also invited to the meeting are the major stake-holders in Philippine basketball, including PBA and PBL officials and Chot Reyes, who was supposed to head the coaching staff.

The POC had threatened to withdraw its recognition of the BAP as the rightful NSA (national sports association) in the country. Such move, however, will leave the country with no legitimate basketball body recognized by the International Basketball Federation or FIBA.

This, therefore, may affect the country’s participation in the SEABA meet which is a qualifying for the ABC Championship in Doha, Qatar, this September or the SEA Games where the Philippines is the undisputed champion.

The POC, through Cojuangco, according to sources, is instead thinking of sanctioning only the BAP officials like Literal, Lim or some board members. But how the POC can implement these sanctions will have to be studied carefully because of its repercussions.

Cojuangco has given the BAP three days since Tuesday to explain its side.