SBP expects full capacity

MANILA, Philippines —  A new attendance record will be set for the FIBA World Cup when the gates open to welcome fans to the opening twinbill at the Philippine Arena on Friday. As of yesterday, Local Organizing Committee deputy executive director Erika Dy said 43,000 tickets have been sold and only 3,000 are left in the box office to fill the capacity of 46,000 for paying customers. There will be at least 4,000 more attending from media, staff, officials and teams so reaching 50,000 is achievable.

The FIBA World Cup-recognized attendance record is 32,616 set in the Final of the 1994 edition in Toronto. While there were reports that the 1954 Final in Rio de Janeiro brought in 34,000 to 35,000 fans to the Maracanazinho Stadium, the numbers are unverified. Still, whether the record is 32,616 or 34,000 or 35,000, it will fall on Friday.

Dy said everything is laid out for a grand opening. There will be 400 49-seat buses ferrying ticket holders from 12 pick-up stations in Metro Manila to the Philippine Arena and back. The P2P shuttles will take off from the PITX Bus Terminal, MOA Arena, One Ayala Bus Terminal, BGC Market Market Bus Terminal, SM Megamall, Araneta City, Trinoma, SM North, Clover Leaf Ayala Mall Bus Terminal, SM Baliuag, SM Pampanga and SM Clark. Additionally, three buses sponsored by Molten and PlayItRightTV will load passengers from Festival Mall Alabang at 2 p.m., SM Makati at 2:30 p.m. and SM North at 3 p.m. The three buses will repeat the schedule from August 26 to 30.

Dy said the Philippine Arena will open its doors at 12 p.m. and advised fans to arrive at the venue at least two hours before the start of the first game. Angola and Italy will begin play at 4pm with the second contest featuring the Philippines against the Dominican Republic at 8 p.m. In between will be an entertainment show headlined by Sarah Geronimo and starring new wave/rock band The Dawn and online streaming sensation Ben & Ben. “Ticket sales indicate a new attendance record so now, we’ll wait for the actual count of the turnstiles,” said Dy.

The Philippine team checked in at the Grand Hyatt Hotel BGC yesterday afternoon. Team USA landed yesterday and settled in at the Shangri-La The Fort BGC. Security is tight in every team hotel and access to players is severely restricted.