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Friday, March 29, 2024

Angara: Government help is key in PH’s FIBA hosting

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THE Philippine government must do its share to ensure the success of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Senator Sonny Angara, Senate Committee on Games, Amusement and Sports Chairman, said this after learning that the Philippines, through the winning bid of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, will be one of the hosts.

Angara, who is a huge basketball fan, called on the government to go all out and “show the world not just world-class basketball skill, but also world-class Philippine hospitality.”

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“We have five years to prepare. Hopefully, by that time, train service in Metro Manila has improved, there will be less traffic, so we can encourage basketball fans from neighboring countries to come here,” said Angara.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup will be a private undertaking, but Angara called for “government equity.”

“What government can do is to fix the roads, spruce up the city and take charge of the security,” he said stressing that the international sports event will be a great opportunity for the country in terms of tourism and showcasing Filipino hospitality.

Senator Sonny Angara

On Saturday evening (Manila time), the Asian consortium, consisting of the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan, got the vote of the majority within the FIBA Central Board.

The three countries received the nod for the joint hosting rights over the joint bid of Argentina and Uruguay.

“Millions of our kababayans, I am sure, are thrilled with the thought that they will be seeing the best basketball players in the world play in our very own soil,” the SBP chairman Manny Pangilinan said.

This is the second time that the country will be staging the world championships since hosting the 1978 edition.

“Under SBP and MVP’s leadership, we reached the first World Cup since 1978 in 2013 in Seville and our first win in many years against Senegal,” the senator said, adding that bringing the basketball World Cup to Manila is a “world-class coup” and “we must pull out all stops in staging an unforgettable tournament that will be watched by billions of people.”

The Philippines, Indonesia and Japan won a joint bid to host the 2023 edition of the event, marking the first time in its history that the World Cup will be held in multiple countries.

Indonesia and Japan will each host eight countries, while the Philippines will host the other 16.

The playoffs, including the semifinals and the final, will be held in the Philippines.

“We are very happy. It’s a good partnership with Philippines and Japan and we will deliver the best FIBA Basketball World Cup that we can,” said Erick Thohir, the president of the Indonesian National Olympic Committee and a member of the FIBA Central Board.

Thohir noted that the three countries “can support each other and present a vast diversity,” while also giving FIBA a massive audience of about 500 million people.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the World Cup will be “a great opportunity for a basketball-loving country like the Philippines to show the world our love for the sport and our unity as a people.”

 “Together, let us make the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines a great success,” Roque said.

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