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FIBA flag now in PHL for 2023 World Cup

By MARISSE PANALIGAN,GMA News

The FIBA flag is now on Philippine soil as the country begins its preparations for the hosting of the 2023 World Cup.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan received the flag during the turnover ceremony on the closing day of the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.

The Philippines will co-host the tournament along with Japan and Indonesia, the first consortium to be awarded the hosting rights of the World Cup.

"We all felt really proud for the Philippines being named host for the next world cup," Pangilinan said when he arrived in Manila on Tuesday. "We also have to coordinate with Indonesia and Japan with regards to their hosting too so that we have a common theme, a common mascot, common slogan and common programs."

In the preliminaries, 16 teams will play in the Philippines as the main partner, while Japan and Indonesia will host eight teams each.

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This is the second time the Philippines will be hosting the World Cup, as the country previously hosted the FIBA World Championships in 1978.

As the hosts, the Philippines is automatically qualified in the 2023 World Cup, its third straight World Cup appearance since 2014 as Gilas Pilipinas ended the 36-year absence at the world stage.

"There’s more pressure on us to perform simply because we’re playing physically before our countrymen," Pangilinan said.

In 1978, the Philippines automatically advanced to the semifinal round as the host country, but the national team lost all eight games in home soil. —LDF, GMA News