Indonesian Basketball League gets green light for October restart

FILE PHOTO — This picture taken in Jakarta on March 3, 2017 shows Indonesian Ferdinand Damanik (white#6) and (white#23) playing against CLS Knight Surabaya during the Indonesian Basketball League 2017 at the Britama Arena in Jakarta. (Photo by STR / AFP)

The Indonesia sports ministry has approved the proposed plan of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) to restart its 2020 season in October.

The IBL season opened in January and was then suspended on March 13 in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.

Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali said in a statement on Monday that the ministry had decided to green-light the resumption of the IBL’s 2020 season event. He added that the approval came with the condition of total compliance with the health protocols to minimize the risk of contagion.

“Let me be clear. I don’t want the IBL to turn into a new COVID-19 cluster,” Zainudin said.

He said that the ministry would sign a memorandum of understanding with the national COVID-19 task force prior to the season’s resumption to ensure that public health was maintained as a top priority.

The IBL would hold its games at empty stadiums in Jakarta to minimize transmission risk of the coronavirus, he said.

“Representatives from the [Jakarta] health agency should also be present to supervise the event,” Zainudin added.

Indonesian Basketball Association chair Danny Kosasih said that restrictions had been placed on the players’ movements for their own health and safety.

“Every [athlete] is prohibited from leaving their dormitory. This is to prevent [the league] from becoming a new COVID-19 cluster,” he said.