SBP finalizing World Cup bid

MANILA, Philippines - The SBP is now in the process of finalizing the candidature file it will submit to FIBA to formalize the country’s bid to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup and while the deadline is April 30, deputy executive director for international affairs Butch Antonio said yesterday the internal goal is to finish the document by the end of this month.

SBP executive director Sonny Barrios continues to make the rounds of the proposed venues for the event, meeting with arena officials to make sure there is conformity with the strict FIBA requirements. “At the moment, not one venue is 100 percent compliant with what FIBA requires but we’re in the process of laying out the plans to make sure we’ll be 100 percent compliant at least a year before the World Cup,” said Antonio.

Assisting the SBP with the candidature file are the global advertising giant DDB Worldwide owned by the New York-based Omnicom Group and Sydney-based entertainment/lifestyle management company Octagon Asia Pacific which is a subsidiary of the Connecticut-based Octagon Group. DDB Group Philippines president Gil Chua and Octagon Asia Pacific president Sean Nicholls are throwing their full support behind the Philippine bid.

After the SBP submits the final candidature file to FIBA on April 30, the next deadline is May 31 to turn over the signed Host Nation Agreement and guarantees. Then, each bidder will make a 20-minute presentation before the FIBA Central Board in Switzerland in June. FIBA will announce the winning bid during the Central Board meeting on June 18-19 after the presentations. FIBA, at its discretion, may decide to announce the host of the 2023 FIBA World Cup simultaneously. A bidding country has the option to express interest in hosting the 2023 edition. Bidding for the hosting rights are China, Turkey, Qatar, Germany, France and the Philippines. Qatar is reportedly setting its sights on 2023 while Germany and France are expected to make a joint proposal for 2019.

“We’re backed up by the creative minds of DDB and Octagon,” said Antonio. “We’ve got a tickler to keep us on our toes in terms of making sure we’re on the right track at the right time. We want to cover everything necessary to make a comprehensive candidature file. Sean has recommended a bid writer. The presentation to the Central Board won’t just be a simple power-point production. We’ll do an audio-visual to present what we’ve got in mind for 2019.”

Candidature files are confidential and may not be distributed to media unless cleared by FIBA. Bidding countries are bound by the duty of confidentiality. A candidature file must express the bidding country’s vision and plan for organizing the World Cup.

The main assessment criteria set by FIBA in evaluating a candidature file are player welfare, state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, stakeholder experience, commercial model and offer, legacy and organizational factors.

Under player welfare, FIBA will look at the quality of accommodations, transport, playing facilities and security to ensure an atmosphere where the participants are able to perform at their best. Under state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure, FIBA will measure standards against its high norms to cover technology and associated event delivery fitting for a competition of this magnitude and stature.

Under stakeholder experience, FIBA will review the impact on sponsors, broadcasters and fans with an eye on the ease of access to the host country, cities and venues, public services, transportation, security, medical services, accommodation and proposed production values on and off the court, including innovations in arena production, entertainment and education programs. Under commercial model and offer, FIBA will assess the scale and quality of the financial offer. Under legacy, FIBA will study issues such as growth of basketball participation, wider long-term economic and social objectives and infrastructure development. Under organizational factors, FIBA will assess the host nation’s ability to stage a global tier one event.

FIBA said at the highest level, the candidature files must express the bidder’s concept and vision for the World Cup, why the staging will be successful, the existing and future capability to host, how the event will be delivered and the wider support to hold the competition with appropriate guarantees.

FIBA requires at least four playing venues and up to five for the 2019 World Cup which will welcome 32 participating countries for the first time since its inception in 1950. The SBP intends to mobilize the Philippine Arena, Smart Araneta Coliseum, Mall of Asia Arena and the to-be-completed Solaire Arena and SM Cebu Arena for the event.

In 17 stagings of the FIBA World Cup, seven were held in South America, five in Europe, three in North America and two in Asia. Three countries have hosted twice, Argentina in 1950 and 1990, Brazil in 1954 and 1963 and Spain in 1986 and 2014. In Asia, the Philippines hosted in 1978 and Japan in 2006. Europe hosted the last two World Cups in Turkey in 2010 and Spain last year.