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Indonesian Basketball League Preseason Tournament to Tip Off Without Sponsor
Ami Afriatni | November 05, 2009

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No sponsor? No problem.

Despite Sampoerna A Mild withdrawing its sponsorship, Indonesian Basketball League clubs Pelita Jaya Esia of Jakarta and Garuda Flexi of Bandung say they are ready to fund the annual preseason tournament.

Pelita Jaya, Garuda and eight other IBL clubs will play in Jakarta and Bandung from Nov. 24-28. The host for the final round of games on Dec. 12-13 has yet to be determined.

“It’s a real effort for the clubs to keep national basketball development alive, with or without a sponsor,” Pelita Jaya club president Andiko Ardi Purnomo told a news conference on Tuesday.

Although he declined to disclose how much money the two clubs were spending on the tournament, he was sure their combined budget would be enough.

“If any of the [other] clubs want to contribute, we will welcome and thank them. If not, it’s OK. The most important thing is their participation,” Andiko said.

Tournament winners and the most valuable player will have to be satisfied with trophies, though, after receiving cash prizes in previous years.

IBL official Ade Bella Harahap said clubs from outside Jakarta and Bandung would be subsidized by their hosts, with Pelita Jaya covering accommodation and transportation costs for teams playing in Jakarta and Garuda doing the same for those competing in Bandung.

“This is for the good of our athletes. It’s great to know that the owners of both teams agree to support the tournament,” Garuda manager Simon Pasaribu said.

Ade said league promoter Mahaka Entertainment and the Indonesian Basketball Association (Perbasi) have been in search of a title sponsor to replace A Mild for the preseason tournament. However, that search has yet to bear fruit.

“I hope Perbasi and our promoter can get us a sponsor to keep the tournament continuing every year,” he said.

The 2009 edition of the tournament features 10 teams divided into two groups. Pelita Jaya will compete in Pool A with the Nuvo CLS Knights, Muba Hangtuah IM, Angsapura Evalube and four-time defending IBL champion Satria Muda Britama. Pool B consists of Garuda, Aspac Jakarta, Bima Sakti Nikkosteel, Stadium Bhinneka and Citra Satria.

Organizers have discussed beginning regular-season play in February, but they have yet to set a firm date.