GILAS Pilipinas remained unaffected by the flooding and evacuation at the Asian Games Athletes’ Village as the national men’s basketball team is staying at a separate hotel, head coach Tim Cone said.
Cone said in a Viber message to Fastbreak that the team was spared from the disruption that affected some Philippine athletes and officials staying at the Athletes’ Village in Nagoya.
“Fortunately, the Gilas team is not billeted at the Athlete’s Village, but are in a separate hotel, so we were unaffected by the floods and the evacuation,” Cone said.
Despite being away from the affected area, the Gilas players were concerned about fellow members of the Philippine delegation who had to deal with the situation.
“However, the players all feel for their fellow athletes who were affected,” Cone added.
Cone said weather conditions had started to improve, with the rains easing on the day of his update.
“The rains have lightened today, so far,” he said.
His comments came after a social media post by sportswriter Quinito Henson reported that athletes and officials staying at the Asian Games Athletes’ Village had been affected by flooding in Nagoya.
Henson also raised concerns about tight accommodations and reports of uncomfortable rooms, expressing hope that conditions would improve.
For Gilas Pilipinas, however, the team’s separate accommodation has allowed its players and staff to continue their Asian Games preparations without being directly disrupted by the flooding. (Adrian Co)
