Ni Marivic Awitan
HINILING ng Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) ang suporta ng Pinoy, maging mga nasa abroad para sa kampanya ng bansa sa joint hosting sa Japan at Indonesia para sa 2023 Basketball World Cup.
“Our country already has that reputation rooted from us being hailed as the Most Valuable Fans in Spain in 2014, so we’re already known globally for our fan support,” pahayag ni SBP executive director Sonny Barrios. “So we ask everyone to continue the tradition and uphold our reputation that we are indeed a basketball-crazy country.”
Sa pamamagitan ng #PlayLouderIn2023, hinihikayat ng SBP ang publiko na makilahok sa bid sa pamamagitan ng kanilang social media accounts para magwagi ang bansa matapos matalo sa China para sa 2019 hosting bid.
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“I think it will be very big,” ayon kay SBP president Al Panlilio. “That’s why we’re asking for your help to show the interest so that we can show the numbers to Fiba. We want them to bring (the World Cup) here because this is where the growth of Fiba will happen.”
Kung magwawagi ang Philippines-Japan-Indonesia bid ayon sa mga SBP officials, karamihan ng mga laro na idaraos sa bansa ay gaganapin sa Araneta Coliseum at Mall of Asia Arena kahanay ng mga venues sa Okinawa, Japan at Jakarta, Indonesia.
Ang semifinals at final games ay planong gawin sa Philippine Arena sa Bocaue, Bulacan.
“We want to make sure that aside from social media, record crowds will watch the games live for sure, especially if the final will be played at the Philippine Arena,” sambit ni Panlilio.
Tiwala si Panlilio na ang 3-nation proposal ay may malaking tsansa na pagbigyan ng FIBA.
“It’s developing basketball in a region that’s not developed yet. If they’re able to expand it to this region, it’s good for Fiba,” ani Panlilio.
“Imagine the 500 million population among the three countries, which has a very young demographic and is predisposed to social media. In Fiba mind, they want to raise the level of the World Cup every year and they want the next hosting in 2023 to be higher than what they foresee China can bring. That’s why our proposition has built a strong case with Fiba that indeed, we will be able to surpass the level of China in 2019,” aniya.
