PBBF distances itself from illegal trials

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Basketball Federation (PBBF) has declared the trials held in Lahore for the Dubai Basketball Championship as illegal, says a press release. PBBF Secretary General Khalid Bashir has called on the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the FIA to take immediate action and prevent the unauthorized team from traveling abroad.

Bashir emphasized that, according to PSB regulations, any team wishing to participate in international events must obtain a NOC. He accused certain individuals of deliberately attempting to form illegal teams under the name of Pakistan and sending them overseas. He stressed that this unauthorized team has no official affiliation with the PBBF. Similar attempts to misrepresent Pakistan by forming illegal teams have occurred in the past, he noted.

The PBBF secretary general clarified that the federation is officially affiliated with both -- the PSB and the Pakistan Olympic Association making it responsible authority for selecting and sending teams to international championships. He added that the trials held in Lahore for the Dubai Basketball Championship were completely illegal, and urged the FIA to prevent the team from traveling abroad.