China touts facilities, Philippines touts 'puso' in final FIBA World Cup presentations

The two nations bidding to host the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019 took different tacks in their respective final presentations on Friday before the international basketball federation's Central Committee.

 

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.

 

Members of the delegation from both countries spoke before FIBA's top official in Tokyo, Japan on Friday, with the announcement expected by Friday afternoon.

 

China 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.

 

Largest basketball audience

 

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'

 

But 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.

Quantum leap

 

Holding the FIBA World Cup, they said, would represent a quantum leap for the sport, given the Philippines' place as the social media capital of the world, while noting how the campaign's hashtag #PUSO2019 was already trending worldwide.

 

Phillips gave a parting shot that seemed to downplay China's experience with global sporting events.

 

"This isn't just another global sporting event to us. This is THE event," he said. —JST, GMA News