Phl-SBP team off to Geneva for ’19 WC bid

MANILA, Philippines - A six-man Philippine delegation, led by Tourism Undersecretary and chief operating officer Domingo Ramon Enerio III, PBA chairman Gregory Patrick Gregorio, and SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, will fly to Geneva on Sunday to attend the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Bid Workshop.

The event is set to help the country’s efforts to secure hosting rights to the global tournament recently held in Spain.

With the group are SBP deputy executive director for international affairs Butch Antonio, SBP logistics consultant Andrew Teh, and Sean Nicholls, president of Octagon Asia-Pacific, a renowned sports marketing and advertising firm based in Sydney.

“We are very serious about the bid process and we will be there to win it,” said SBP vice chairman Ricky Vargas.

“SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan wants to make an impression on the seriousness of our bid so that aside from SBP officials, we have requested DOT Undersecretary Enerio and Octagon Asia president Nicholls to join,” said Barrios.

Earlier, SBP officials met with DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez who expressed keen interest in the project and saw its potential benefits for Philippine tourism.

The workshop is scheduled on Dec. 15 and 16 and is the second item in the candidate phase of the FIBA World Cup bidding calendar after the expression of interest and applicant phases.

On-site inspection by top FIBA officials will be next in January 2015 followed by the submission of final candidate list in April, and the final bid presentations and announcement of the host nation by the FIBA Central Board in May.

The Philippines and Brazil, have openly expressed interest in hosting the event. Other potential bids could come from Germany, France, China, Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and Mexico.

Brazil hosted the tournament in 1954 and 1963, while the Philippines had its turn in 1978.

Six cities around Spain staged the 2014 FIBA World Cup from Aug. 30 to Sept. 14, with the United States routing Serbia, 129-92, in the final game.