THE Philippines, Indonesia and Japan have a strong chance of winning the joint bidding for the hosting rights of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
This was according to Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio, some three days before he leaves on Thursday to attend this Saturday’s Central Board meeting of the FIBA, in Mies, Switzerland.
Turkey and Russia have backed out of their bids two weeks ago.
Because of this, the bidding for the hosting rights for basketball’s biggest tournament is now down to two blocs.
There’s the Argentina/Uruguay bloc, and then there’s the other one composed of the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.
“We have a chance of winning the bid. I feel personally that we have a strong chance. But of course, it’s 50-50,” said Panlilio, who explained SBP’s stand together with executive director Sonny Barrios during a press conference yesterday at the Meralco Headquarters in Ortigas.
Panlilio and Barrios are set to make a 20-minute presentation during the meeting and take questions from members of the Central Board.
The SBP plans to amp the social media noise level to worldwide proportions with the hashtag #playlouderin2023.
In 2023, the FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held for the first time in multiple countries.
In their plans to the award the hosting of the 2023 World Cup, the FIBA is seeking to reach out to a bigger audience.
And Panlilio said that if the Philippines and its partners win the bid, they will have an audience reach of around 500 million people.
“And I think, that’s a compelling proposition that we have brought forward to the FIBA,” said Panlilio.
The Cup is the most prestigious international tournament in the sport of basketball.
It features the best 32 teams from 32 countries all over the world.
The 2023 tourney will also serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The Philippines, together with its partners Japan and Indonesia, is taking the lead in bidding to co-host the 2023 World Cup. Peter Atencio
If granted the rights, the Philippines will house competition for 16 of the 32 teams in the elimination round and be the host for the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals. Peter Atencio