MANILA, Philippines—You want basketball? Then build a playing court for us.

This was the condition imposed by host Laos as the Philippines pursued its bid to include its favorite sport in the final roster of events during the Southeast Asian Games Federation Council meeting in Vientiane Wednesday.

“They (organizers) want us to build a basketball court in Laos,” said Philippine Olympic Committee spokesperson Joey Romasanta after receiving the news Wednesday from Go Teng Kok, the POC representative to the SEAG Federation Council meeting.

“Go told me that the organizers were firm on their condition with basketball,” said Romasanta. “They want to hold it there or it will not be included in the roster of events for good.”

Effectively denied was an offer by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan to host the men’s and women’s basketball instead in Manila with all possible expenses to be shouldered by SBP.

Romasanta said Pangilinan had considered it expensive and impractical to build a court in Laos. “The transport (of materials) and installation costs will be pricey,” he added, quoting Pangilinan.

A final POC decision on the issue is expected before the council meeting ends Thursday.

Romasanta said Go lobbied for the inclusion of basketball after the sports and rules committee scratched the sport closest to the hearts of Filipinos from the list of disciplines due to the lack of a playing court.

A total of 25 sports have been approved so far with weightlifting, archery and cycling the last three disciplines to be included, Romasanta added.

Other sports to be staged are athletics, aquatics, badminton, billiards and snooker, boxing, football, golf, judo, karatedo, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, lawn tennis, taekwondo, muay, petanque, pencak silat, fin swimming, shuttlecock, volleyball, wrestling and wushu.

Romasanta said Go, who attended the council meeting with wushu’s Julian Camacho, also batted for the inclusion of dragon boat and rowing.

Thailand initially offered to stage basketball in a city near the Thai-Laotian border but it was also turned down by Laos officials.

Along with the Thai offer came a proposal from the Philippines to bring the flooring of the Philsports Arena to Vientiane, the hub of the games slated Dec. 13-21 next year.

Basketball was not played when Manila hosted the biennial meet in 2005 because the country was then under suspension by the international basketball federation.

The sport made a comeback in Thailand last year with the Philippine men’s team easily bagging the crown.