14 October 2018, Calgary -  Consul General Gilberto Asuque (photo right) encouraged a wider participation of Filipino, Canadian and First Nation youths in basketball tournaments to achieve a deeper interaction and friendship among various ethnic communities.

Consul General Asuque spoke at the awarding ceremony at the end of the week-long Hoops Around the World basketball tournament held at the Calgary Storm Basketball Athletics Centre in South East Calgary.  The tournament is a project of the Calgary Storm Basketball Association (CSYBA) led by Filipino-Canadians Tony and Amy Tan and Joel Dizon.

The basketball competition brought various teams composed of male and female players from the Filipino, Canadian and First Nation communities.   Consul General Asuque commended the CSYBA in organizing the tournament which is a venue to strengthen understanding and friendship among various communities and encourage the participation of the youths in sports.

During the event, the players with their parents and the organizers were treated to a performance that showed the ethnic culture and tradition of the First Nation