The Medina administration is prioritizing politics when it comes to the use of the Palacio de los Deportes, the main basketball arena in Santo Domingo. As reported in Diario Libre, the Ministry of Sports (Miderec) has notified the National District Basketball Association (Abadina) that it will have to postpone the start of the city tournament that was scheduled for 18 February 2016. The PRD had chosen the Palacio de los Deportes for its 21 February launch of the candidacy of ruling PLD party candidate, President Danilo Medina. In the 2016 elections, the PRD, a long time opposition party, will be supporting the candidacy of Medina who seeks his first consecutive re-election.
The new dates for the start of the city championship are now 28 February or 2 March at the Palacio de los Deportes. Alternatively, they could hold the formal opening at the Volleyball Pavilion in the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center or Club Mauricio Baez, where games will be played.
Abadina says that the date of 18 February had been set in November 2015 and was authorized by the sports arena management board long before the PRD announced it wanted to hold its event at the sports arena.
International Basketball Federation of (FIBA) president Horacio Muratore is due to arrive for a four-day vacation prior to an official visit scheduled for 18-22 February to coincide with the start of the tournament, the first visit to the country by a FIBA president.
The teams playing this year are Mauricio Baez, San Carlos, Bameso, San Lazaro, Huellas del Siglo, Rafael Barias, Los Prados and El Millon.
Abadina president Jose Monegro and tournament coordinator Federico Lalane said that the postponement would be costly for the teams because it will extend the tournament and they will have to pay the players for the extra days, especially the foreign players who are arriving in time for the originally announced start of the tournament on 18 February.
http://www.diariolibre.com/deportes/baloncesto/miderec-cede-a-prd-palacio-y-se-pospone-torneo-distrital-DA2705959
http://www.diariolibre.com/deportes/baloncesto/presidente-de-fiba-visita-a-dominicana-CA2705721
