Atoy Co opens summer tournament in Dubai

Inquirer.net

ONE of the all-time greats of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), former professional basketball player Fortunato “Atoy” Co, was the special guest at the annual summer basketball tournament of the Filipino community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates which opened on April 11.

Here’s a photo of Co addressing the participating teams.

The opening ceremonies held at the Al Nasr Gymnasium in Oud Metha, Dubai saw the Intercontinental Hotel team win the best in uniform award, while Nina Cascades of the Fairmont Hotel team was named Ms. FBC-Chikka Grill at Marco Polo Hotel Cup.

The marching band of the United International Private School provided the fanfare. For his part, Philippine Consul Vicente Bandillo commended the participating teams and the organizers for the good turnout.

Co is a member of the PBA Hall of Fame. He was the first player to score 5,000 and 10,000 points at the time when the three-point shot was not yet introduced. He was part of the fabled Crispa Redmanizers ballclub that won two Grand Slams, in 1976 and 1983. He won the Most Valuable Player award in 1979, and is a 9-time Mythical First Team Member.

In a press statement, Ramon Pizarras, chairman of the Filipino Basketball Center (FBC), said the tournament dubbed as “Chikka Grill at Marco Polo Hotel Cup” will see the participation of 40 teams representing the hotel and corporate sectors in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, as well as teams with former professional basketball players from the Philippines. The tournament will be held every Friday and will end in September.

“This year’s event will see a new division being introduced. We have opened up the tournament for basketball enthusiasts who are 40 and above. It will be a good opportunity for these individuals to continue playing in a competitive environment,” Pizarras said.

The FBC is a duly-licensed entity in the United Arab Emirates established to promote sports and entertainment activities among the Filipinos and other nationalities. It was responsible for bringing the first Middle East game of the PBA when Ginebra and Purefoods played against each other on April 13, 2007 in Dubai.

Editor’s note: Photos by Darwin Reyes of MEsnipers.