The annual A-league Basketball Championship 2021 began in the capital last week. Organised by the Basketball Federation of Bhutan, the competition is one of the top basketball leagues in the country.
Given the worrying COVID-19 situation in the capital, last year, the Basketball Federation of Bhutan had no other option than to cancel the tournament.
“The competition was supposed to be held last year but due to the COVID-19 situation, we had to postpone it. This year, we have a total of 12 teams taking part in the competition. The reason behind conducting such a tournament is to keep our players engaged,” said Lhendup D Dorjey, the Technical Head of the Basketball Federation of Bhutan.
He added like any other sports tournament, the Basket Federation of Bhutan is also following all the COVID-19 protocols mandated by the Bhutan Olympic Committee.
“We are following strict COVID-19 protocols and we are not allowing audience here. We check players’ temperature and make them use the Druk Trace app before entering the court. Likewise, players on the bench are also made to wear masks at all times,” he said.
And to wrap up the tournament early, four matches are played on weekends and government holidays, and three matches during the weekdays at the swimming pool indoor court in Thimphu.
The federation will live-stream all matches on its official Facebook page.
This is the 5th edition of the competition organised by the Basketball Federation of Bhutan. The tournament is expected to conclude towards the end of next month.
Passang Dorji
