MANILA, Philippines - In no uncertain terms, PLDT chairman/SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan reiterated the seriousness of the country’s bids to host the FIBA Asia Championships next year and the FIBA World Cup in 2019 during a courtesy call by FIBA director of TV/new media rights Paul Stimpson at the TV5 head office in Mandaluyong the other day.
Stimpson, an English basketball legend, was in town with the Naismith Trophy, the FIBA World Cup winner’s prize, in the course of a global tour. He left to bring the trophy to Wuhan, China, yesterday, and will attend the FIBA Asia Cup where the Philippines is competing with China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Chinese-Taipei, Jordan and Singapore on July 11-19.
TV5 president/CEO Noel Lorenzana and SBP executive director Sonny Barrios were with Pangilinan during Stimpson’s courtesy call.
Barrios said the SBP has given notice to FIBA that the Philippines is bidding to host both competitions. Stimpson said FIBA will conduct a two or three-day workshop among representatives of bidding countries to explain the complexities and logistical requirements of staging the World Cup in Madrid. The workshop will be fit into the World Cup schedule on Aug. 30-Sept. 14.
Stimpson said he’s not aware of the final list of bidders but mentioned Russia, Brazil, Qatar, China, Angola and a Baltic consortium led by Lithuania as among the interested countries. “I understand China is sending 15 people to the workshop,” said Stimpson. “It’s a major challenge to host the World Cup. In Spain, we expect to set up about 40 commentary positions for TV in the preliminaries and 80 from the Round of 16 to the finals. We’ll mobilize 10 to 11 cameras for the preliminaries and 14 to 15 the rest of the way. We’ll put up a lounge for at least 500 VIP guests and a media center to accommodate over 800 journalists from all over the world. Our parking space will be big enough to hold seven to eight OB Vans. In 2019, the World Cup will expand from 24 to 32 teams so the requirements will be even bigger to consider more VIPs, more media and more commentary positions.”
Stimpson was in Manila for the FIBA Asia Championships last year and said the staging of the World Cup entails a mobilization of resources many times over. “No doubt, the images of the FIBA Asia Championships last year made an impact throughout the world,” he said. “I think the world of basketball has embraced the Philippines for the Filipinos’ love and passion for the game.”
Pangilinan said the SBP will send representatives to the Madrid workshop and assured Stimpson that by 2019, the Philippines will make available at least four international-standard venues for the World Cup – the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Mall of Asia Arena, the soon-to-be-inaugurated 55,000-seat Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, and a soon-to-be-constructed SM Arena in Cebu.
“I recall when we reorganized Philippine basketball to form the SBP in 2006, the expectation was we wouldn’t be back in international competition until 2016,” said Pangilinan. “It looks like we made it two years early. We want the Philippines to be an active member of FIBA. We hosted the FIBA Asia Championships last year and we’re hosting the FIBA 3x3 World Tour kick-off leg on July 19-20. We’re back in the FIBA World Cup after an absence of 36 years and we’re hoping to qualify for the 2016 Olympics.”
Stimpson lauded Pangilinan’s dedication in promoting the game that Filipinos love and said the door is wide open for the Philippines to make an impact at the FIBA World Cup where “anything can happen.”
As for Manila hosting the FIBA Asia Championships next year, Stimpson said that’s FIBA Asia’s call. The coming FIBA Asia Championships will be the qualifier for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and only the winner will represent the region. “Hosting back-to-back FIBA Asia Championships has been done before,” he said. “Selecting the host country will depend on several factors to be determined by FIBA Asia.” Since the FIBA Asia Championships began in 1960, China has hosted back-to-back twice, in Shanghai in 2001 and Harbin in 2003 and Tianjin in 2009 and Wuhan in 2011. China also staged the 1989 tournament in Beijing and has hosted four of the last seven FIBA Asia Championships. Japan hosted in 1971 in Tokyo, 1979 in Nagoya, 1991 in Kobe, 1999 in Fukuoka and 2007 in Tokushima. Manila hosted in 1960, 1973 and 2013.
Pangilinan said he expects 5,000 Filipinos to travel to Seville to cheer for Gilas at the FIBA World Cup. Stimpson said 7,000 Finns have bought tickets to support their country which took one of four wildcard tickets to play in Group C in Bilbao. He added that 2,000 to 3,000 Lithuanians are going to Spain.
In 16 stagings of the FIBA World Cup since 1950, Asia has hosted only twice – in Manila in 1978 and Saitama in 2006. Europe will host its second straight World Cup this year. Three countries have hosted twice, Argentina in 1950 and 1990, Brazil in 1954 and 1963 and Spain in 1986 and this year. The US hosted in 2002.