UN declares World Basketball Day

MANILA, Philippines — As the Philippines solidified its stature as the basketball mecca by setting a new FIBA World Cup gate-attendance record, the world, including the United Nations, witnessed in awe and filed to a historic resolution for the well-loved sport.

In a breakthrough development, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated a World Basketball Day on Dec. 21 through a Philippines-initiated resolution in New York City, just hours after the country smashed the World Cup mark.

At the gigantic Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, the host country lured 38,115 fans to surpass the standing mark of 32,616, which attended the 1994 World Cup final between United States and Russia in Toronto, Canada.

The new Philippine record is expected to stay in a long while as the UNGA made basketball, with at least 450 million people worldwide playing since the 1936 Berlin Olympics, as the first team sport to have an international day.

“As a globally recognized sport, basketball transcends borders, cultures, and languages. It serves as a unifying force where people from different backgrounds can come together, bond and communicate with each other, creating connections and breaking down barriers, and thereby contributing to peace,” said Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Antonio Lagdameo.

“The adoption of the resolution is very timely, as the 2023 FIBA World Cup of Basketball has just started today, 25 August, in three major cities in Asia – Manila, Jakarta, and Tokyo. It is an honor for my own country, the Philippines, to host this global competition because basketball is in our national DNA.”

The resolution mainly sponsored by the Philippines, Indonesia, Nicaragua and Peru was adopted by consensus with co-sponsorships from 77 countries at the UN assembly.

“Basketball plays a role in promoting health, mental well-being, and community engagement, as it contributes to global health goals. It is a powerful tool for promoting the values of discipline, respect for rules, team spirit, inclusivity, as well as women empowerment,” President Marcos said before the FIBA World Cup hosting.

As if the country is not already considered the world’s basketball hotbed in terms of popularity and fan support, the UN resolution coming with the new FIBA World Cup record only formalized it.

Lagdameo said the Philippines boasts more basketball courts per capita than anywhere in the world and also had the highest basketball popularity index score globally in 2019.

The Philippines, in the heart of a continent that mainly revolves around football, baseball and cricket, also became home to Asia’s first and oldest professional hoops league in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in 1975.

Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts and more than a century later found its second home in the Philippines with a new FIBA record and a resolution to have basketball remembered once a year forever.

“It’s amazing,” said Filipino-American pride Jordan Clarkson, who personally witnessed the historic moment at home and for his home country. – Marc Jayson Cayabyab