Preventing the Possibility of the Spread of the Corona Virus, IBL Series 7 in Malang Suddenly Cancelled

Kapanlagi.com - The Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) held in Malang, East Java, suddenly cancelled. The matches that were supposed to be held at the Bima Sakti Sports Hall in Malang on March 13-15, 2020, were cancelled due to the development of the corona virus issue.

The location was fully prepared with attributes and a row of sponsor flags installed, even the players had arrived in Malang. Junas Miradiarsyah, CEO of IBL, revealed that the matches were postponed indefinitely. Further coordination will be conducted with stakeholders for further possibilities.

"After deep consideration from the team and discussions with clubs and sponsors, we provided options for postponement or termination of the IBL 2020 season starting from the series in Malang. This decision was made as the best option among the available choices," explained Junas Miradiarsyah at the Bima Sakti Sports Hall in Malang, Friday (13/3).

1. Consider Safety

This decision was made, of course, with the consideration of the safety of everyone involved. From players, organizers to spectators.

"The goal is one, which is obviously the safety of players, officials, and spectators. Alhamdulillah, until the 6th series, there have been no undesirable incidents. We don't want that to happen. We decided purely for the safety of everyone involved in this league," he continued.

According to Junas, the league status is temporarily suspended until further notice. Next, a meeting will be held with clubs and stakeholders next week to discuss the possibility of continuing the 2020 season.

"Because there are two factors, the time factor must be considered. Secondly, from the competitive aspect, we know there are local players and foreign players, so the questions will change, the possibility of foreign players will also change, because after this they should be sent back," he explained.

2. Plan Already from Far Away

IBL Series 7 Malang Canceled (credit: Kapanlagi.com/Darmadi Sasongko)

The option to stop the league has actually emerged since yesterday, but it cannot be immediately conveyed.

"Because it is under the auspices of the Federation, the Federation is under the Ministry, so we also communicate with those parties. It takes time and today we decide because, well, the plan is for the game to be played, the teams have also arrived. We officially announced it at 13.30 WIB with the presence of all invited teams," he explained.

As a result of this delay, material and non-material consequences are certain to arise. However, the decision is considered the best among all the options that have emerged.

"Maybe this is an imperfect situation, but hopefully it is the best for everyone. If we look at the bigger picture, in the future, unwanted things can happen and the material and non-material impact will be even greater. So it feels like this is the best, we can't wait until there is an incident and then stop," he emphasized.

Since the last week or the Surabaya series, there has been communication between the league and the federation, as well as the Ministry of Sports. After much consideration and further coordination, it was decided to stop.

3. Preventive Measures

Actually, since series 6 in Surabaya, the league itself has implemented preventive procedures as recommended, such as providing hand sanitizers and temperature checks for visitors. In fact, these procedures will be enhanced in series 7.

Body temperature measurements and the names and temperatures of all crew members entering are recorded. So if something undesirable happens, the data is recorded. The players' path is sterilized and only players are allowed to enter.

"But that's something we can control and ensure that if it goes well, we will do it properly. But there are external factors that we cannot control, such as the global situation. The domestic situation is constantly changing, not just daily or weekly, but every hour," he explained.

The decision made considers the possibility of greater consequences. Everything is purely for the safety of the players and everyone involved in the league. The players who have already arrived in Malang will adjust their flights and return.

"So for now, Series 7 and 8, playoffs, and so on, we will temporarily stop until further notice. That's the status," he emphasized.

(kpl/dar/lou)