FIBA to visit Manila for site inspection

MANILA, Philippines - A five-man FIBA technical team will visit Manila on Jan. 26-30 to inspect the venues where games are proposed to be played in line with the Philippines’ bid to host the 32-team World Cup in 2019, it was disclosed by PBA chairman Patrick Gregorio yesterday.

Gregorio was in the FIBA headquarters called the House of Basketball in Mies, a Swiss village about a 10-minute drive from Geneva international airport, with the Philippine delegation that attended a bid workshop this week. The delegation was made up of Gregorio, SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, SBP deputy executive director for external affairs Butch Antonio, Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Domingo Enerio, Octagon Asia-Pacific president Sean Nicholls and logistics consultant Andrew Teh. Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein Leslie Baja motored from Berne to join the delegation on the first day of the two-day workshop.

The team that flew from Manila to Geneva was expected back last night.

SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan is seriously pursuing the bid to host the 2019 World Cup, the first conclave that will feature 32 teams from 24. “I simply want to show the world the Filipino can,” said Pangilinan. “That we’re capable of staging a complex global event such as the FIBA World Cup. And I want the world to know who we are as a people – our values, culture and music.”

Represented in the workshop were delegates from China, Germany, France, Turkey, Qatar and the Philippines. Germany is considering a joint bid with France. Brazil, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and a consortium made up of Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania had previously expressed interest to bid but were out of the short list.

Antonio said the Philippines impressed FIBA president Horacio Muratore of Argentina by showing up with the largest delegation among the six nations. China, Germany and France had four delegates each while Turkey and Qatar, three apiece. “No players were present in any of the groups,” said Antonio. “FIBA went through all the bid guidelines. On the first day, Ambassador Baja drove all the way from Berne to join us. During lunch at the FIBA headquarters, no less than Mr. Muratore sat with us. The topic was obviously about the passion for basketball in our country.”

Antonio said that on the second day, FIBA director of global TV Paul Stimpson mentioned that Ambassador Baja’s presence sent a strong message of how serious the Philippines is in its bid during the afternoon individual country sessions. Stimpson was in Manila to witness the country’s staging of the FIBA Asia Championships last year and returned to display the Naismith Trophy on an Asia tour before the recent World Cup in Spain.

Gregorio said FIBA organized two full days of “very serious” workshop. “FIBA acknowledges the popularity of basketball in the Philippines,” he said. “We think our advantage is the Filipino’s passion for the game. We got to know the delegates of the other countries during dinner with Mr. Muratore in a Swiss restaurant where they served cheese fondue. We hope to rally Filipinos all over the world behind this historic bid.”

Gregorio said a FIBA team will fly in next month to inspect the proposed sites for the games. The Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Mall of Asia Arena, the 55,000-seat Philippine Arena and either the Solaire Arena or the SM Coliseum in Cebu, both still in the development stage, are the possible venues. Gregorio said the fact that the Solaire Arena and the SM Coliseum in Cebu are not yet finished won’t be taken against the Philippine bid.  “If we can prove that it’s a concrete plan and has funding, I don’t think it’s a problem,” he said. “FIBA realizes that 2019 is still a long way to go.” The Philippine Arena may be the venue for the opening ceremonies and the final.

A source of pride that the Philippine delegation cited was Pangilinan’s designated seat in the FIBA Tribune of Honor. Pangilinan was one of three distinguished basketball leaders invited to join the 26-strong FIBA Central Board for the term 2014-19. The others were Russia’s Julia Anikeeva and Indonesia’s Erick Thohir. The Tribune of Honor is in the lobby of the House of Basketball, a four-storey structure that was inaugurated last year. Gregorio said it is an integral part of the design of the FIBA headquarters. The Tribune of Honor also pays tribute to those who were previously FIBA president, including the late Filipino Gonzalo (Lito) Puyat, and secretary-general.        

FIBA will announce the winning bidder during the next Central Board meeting on June 18-19. It may also decide which of the other bidders will stage the 2023 edition or to extend the bidding process. “We are extremely pleased to announce that six countries have expressed their interest to host the biggest basketball tournament in the world,” said FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann. “The commitment to growing basketball as well as to stage first-class sporting events is something they all have in common.”

The SBP tapped Octagon, a global sports, entertainment and lifestyle marketing and talent agency based in Connecticut, to assist in the bid. Octagon’s basketball client list includes David Robinson, Rudy Gay and Stephen Curry. It is involved with CISCO and Sprint in both companies’ business relationship with the NBA as official partners. A budget of P1.5 Billion is under review to finance the hosting of the 2019 FIBA World Cup.