ISLAMABAD - The general council of Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBBF) was called here on Tuesday at a local hotel as 22 members attended the meeting which was chaired by PBBF president Asif Bajwa.
Various suggestions regarding promotion of basketball were discussed during the meeting. Commenting on the occasion, Bajwa said: “Facilities were needed for promotion of any sports and the PBBF will do its best to boost the game across the country. Efforts will be made for construction of basketball courts in various cities with the help of the government."
He said that he was also in touch with the corporate sector for financial assistance, which was also vital for promotion of basketball. “We are struggling to invite a foreign team to visit Pakistan and also exploring the options to arrange a foreign tour,” he said.
The PBBF chief said a foreign coach would be invited to Pakistan to train local coaches and teams. The general council also finalised the activity calendar for the current year. It was decided that the Men's National Championship would be held in March each year and likewise the women and juniors' nationals in February and October respectively every year.
The Higher Education Commission will be the likely to host the Women's National Championship this month in Islamabad. Wapda will most probably organise the Men's National Championship in Lahore while the Islamabad Basketball Association will host the Junior National Championship in October. It was also decided to hold the three-on-three tournaments on regular basis. The meeting was told that basketball's world governing body, FIBA, held three-on-three events last year on trial basis and from 2012 such tournaments will have official status.
Inter-club tournaments will be organised in different cities and the top two teams from these tournaments will be pitted against sides from other cities in an inter-city championship to be staged by the Pakistan Basketball Federation. The house applauded services of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata in promotion of basketball. The meeting also elected group captain Syed Farhat Ali of Pakistan Air Force as vice president of the federation.