Manila Chooks TM to miss Fiba 3×3 Lipik Challenger due to visa woes

FILE –Manila Chooks TM. CHOOKS TO GO PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Due to visa issues, Manila Chooks TM will miss the 2021 FIBA 3×3 Lipik Challenger in Croatia from May 21-22.

The team composed of Chico Lanete, Mac Tallo, Zach Huang and Dennis Santos from Chooks to Go Pilipinas 3×3 has pulled out of the event with their Croatian visas still not available.

“There are things that we have no control of and this is one of them,” said Chooks 3×3 owner Ronald Mascariñas. “Since 2019, this is the first time that we had to pull out from a FIBA 3×3 tournament and the players were really looking forward to it.

“But the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for us to obtain our deligation’s visas.”

With no Croatian Embassy in the country, the players’ passports were sent to the closest office in Jakarta, Indonesia. But until Thursday, the visas have yet to be produced.

The team had been training in a bubble set up at Lucena Convention Center in Quezon.

“The boys have been raring to bounce back after Doha but there are things we don’t have control of. We’ll just bounce back, that’s all we can do right now,” said Manila Chooks TM head coach Aldin Ayo.