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China beats out Philippines as host of FIBA World Cup


(UPDATED 9:20 p.m.) China has been selected to host the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019, beating out the Philippines.
 
The selection was announced on Friday after the two nations made final presentations in support of their respective bids.

China garnered 14 votes from the FIBA Central Board, while seven members backed the Philippines.
 
"This was a very difficult decision because we had two national federations who did excellent work. However, there can only be one host country for our event in 2019 and it will be China," said FIBA President Horacio Muratore.

"We would like to congratulate both national federations for their outstanding work and bids. This is what we wanted: to have national federations put together top quality bids to host our flagship event."

The two nations took different tacks in their respective final presentations on Friday before the international basketball federation's Central Committee.
 
Members of the delegation from both countries spoke before FIBA's top officials in Tokyo, Japan.

China highlighted its strengths in terms of facilities, its experience in hosting global sporting events, and the size of its potential market, while the Philippines touted its unique relationship with the game of basketball.
 
Largest basketball audience

China, which was first to present, boasted its track record of hosting large-scale events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics.
 
The Chinese delegation said it would be able to provide the largest basketball audience, noting how some 200 million fans watched the finals of the Chinese Basketball Association on television.
 
Former NBA superstar Yao Ming said hosting the World Cup would be an opportunity "to inspire a nation of 1.3 billion people to play the game."
 
"My greatest wish is that our sport can spread to every corner of this planet," he said.
 
'More rooms, better airports'
 
The Chinese presentation involves spreading the 32-nation tournament across eight different cities, each of which, they said, boasted of world class facilities.
 
China said each city will offer 100,000 rooms, which are expected to provide tailored services for basketball players whose height gives them special needs.
 
"In China in 2019, you will be treated as a star," said one official.
 
China also touted its advantages in transportation, noting how its four international airports can handle the influx of athletes, officials, media, and fans expected for the event.
 
"The way to get into China is easy and convenient," said the official, in apparent reference to recent airport woes facing the Philippines, whose main hub at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has been named the worst in the world.
 
"Getting to games will be easy and comfortable," he added.
 
'Greatest fans in the world'
 
The Philippines, in its presentation, tried to shoot down China's infrastructure advantages.
 
"Operational necessities don't mean success," said Filipino-American actor Lou Diamond Phillips.
 
The Philippines' presentation provided data behind the country's basketball following. Some 80 percent of sports fans call themselves basketball fans, it said, with 96 percent of those basketball fans behind the country's World Cup bid.
 
It also noted how some 52,000 fans saw the opening day of the Philippine Basketball Association live at Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan last year.
 
Phillips, former Gilas Pilipinas captain Jimmy Alapag, and former coach Chot Reyes all pushed that the Philippines had "the greatest basketball fans in the world,"  adding that it's the perfect environment for the World Cup. 
 
"It's something you can't manufacture," said Phillips.
 
Still friends
 
Meanwhile, Yao paid tribute to the Philippines efforts shortly after his country won the hosting rights.
 
The former Houston Rockets center said the Philippines' bid pushed him and his colleagues to step up.
 
"We have to pay tribute to the Philippines delegation. They were great opponents. Only opponents like them could really push us to our limits to test how capable we are," said Yao.
 
"Even if we were opponents on this occasion, we still have a friendship with them." 

After the presentations, Yao was spotted talking to former Gilas Pilipinas team captain Jimmy Alapag, who was part of the Philippine delegation. Former Gilas coach Chot Reyes said on Twitter that Yao admitted that the Philippines had a better presentation.
 
But it was not enough to sway FIBA Central Committee members.
 
It will be the first time China will host the tournament, which will be a boon for the country's basketball fans, said Yao.
 
"I know what it’s like to play a top level basketball tournament in front of home fans because I played at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Having the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will inspire a lot of people and particularly more young athletes to participate in basketball," he said. —JST, GMA News

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