PH Embassy in Lisbon Hosts Basketball Match

Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria (center, in white shirt) joins the players from Portugal (right side, in black uniform) and Spain (left side, in blue uniform) during the flag-raising ceremony before the start of the game. (Lisbon PE photo)

LISBON 08 October 2019 – The Philippine Embassy in Lisbon, in partnership with the Associaçăo Filipino Portuguesa (AFP), successfully hosted the first friendly basketball match between the Filipino communities in Portugal and Spain on 15 September 2019 at Parque de Jogos 1 de Maio.

The first-ever invitational friendly basketball match is a project of Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria aimed at connecting the Filipino communities in Europe and emphasizing the importance of friendship, camaraderie, and networking within the region.

The match ended with the visiting team from Madrid winning by a wide margin over the host city. Players of both sides were awarded medals courtesy of the Embassy, and a trophy for the winning team. 

In her closing remarks, Ambassador Feria congratulated both teams and the two Filipino communities for their collaborative efforts in ensuring a successful event. She expressed her hopes that this first joint effort will pave the way for more activities among Filipino communities in other European cities or capitals in the future.

The event culminated with a salo-salo picnic prepared by both communities. The Madrid team departed for Spain that afternoon.

Currently, there are about 50,000 Filipinos in Spain and about 1,600 Filipinos in Portugal. END

Team Spain trumps Team Portugal in the friendly basketball match held in Lisbon. (Lisbon PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.lisbonpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinPortugal/.