The Guyana Basketball Federation (GABF) announced on Wednesday that the National Under 15 Guyana Basketball Team will not be participating in the FIBA Centrobasket U15 Championship in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.
The withdrawal comes after the US Embassy in Guyana was unable to accommodate expedited interviews for seven members of the Guyanese delegation. The request for the expedited interviews followed the process of team selection.
According to the GABF, several interventions by the offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport, and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) America’s Regional Office, proved unsuccessful in securing appointments before the end of the week.
Taking into account their Nike Youth Ranking position the participating National Teams were placed in pairs. Guyana’s National Team was placed in Group B, where they will go against Panama, Bahamas and host nation Puerto Rico.
The competition will be held at the Fernando “Rube” Hernandez Colosseum.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Semi-Finals, where the top two teams from each group will face the second team of each opposing group. The Semi-Final winners will qualify for the gold medal game, while the losing teams will play for third place and the bronze medal.
The three best teams at the end of the tournament will qualify for the FIBA U16 Americas Championship in 2023.
The 14-member Guyanese delegation was already in possession of roundtrip airline tickets, needing to arrive two days before their matches, which begin on June 18, and depart the US Territory on June 23, 2022.
