Photo: Philippino team

BASKETBALL, after all, will be played in the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Laos.

After days of lobbying for the inclusion of the sport, the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Federation Council approved the staging of basketball in the 25th edition of the biennial meet on the final day of the council’s meeting on Thursday in Vientiane.

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) sport and rules committee head Go Teng Kok, through spokesman Joey Romasanta, said the inclusion was supported by all of the SEA Games member-countries.

Host Laos agreed to include basketball in its program after the other member-countries insisted that they shoulder the expenses for the staging of the sport.

Laos organizers have eventually found a gym suitable for the staging of the sport. It conformed with standards of the International Basketball Federation (Fiba).

“Hindi na daw kailangan ng tabla [wooden floor],” Romasanta quoted Go as saying. “The issue is the operational cost pero madali ng pagtulungan ’yan ng ibang bansa.”

“The good news is that even the basketball federation of Thailand is willing to help financially in the staging of basketball,” said Romasanta.

The POC will discuss with Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials on the financial requirements for the staging of the sport.

Basketball became the latest addition on the list of sports for the 2009 SEA Games after archery, cycling and weightlifting were included earlier this week. The other sports are aquatics, athletics, wrestling, badminton, boxing, football, golf, judo, karate, sepak takraw, billiards, shooting, muay, table tennis, taekwondo, traditional boat racing, wushu, pencak silat, shuttle****, volleyball and beach volleyball.

The 25th edition of the SEA Games will be held from December 13 to 21, 2009.