KEY officials from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) were invited as observers in the recent Eurobasket 2022 to get a closer feel of how the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup is being hosted.
The Philippines is the lead host for the 2023 FIBA World Cup with Japan and Indonesia. It will be the country’s second hosting of the championship since 1978, when there were only 14 squads coming from five federations.
A total of 32 countries will qualify for the 2023 World Cup—six for Asia, seven for Americas, five for Africa, 12 for Europe and two for the hosts (Philippines and Japan).
The Philippines will host 40 games, including the final phase or playoff matches.
The SBP delegation got a first-hand experience of how the Eurobasket 2022 was staged in Berlin with no less than the global leaders in the field.
The delegates witnessed innovations in staging the event and were introduced for the first time in Germany.
“The FIBA headquarters has been working on little tweaks, including more fan experience, making the game more exciting not just to the players and competing teams, but also to the spectators,” an SBP statement said.
“The Philippines, being considered as a basketball-crazy nation, deserves more fan interaction in the venue and now that the SBP had been able to experience it in Eurobasket 2022,” the statement added. “The group intends to top it next year, considering that the country is holding not just a regional or continental event, but a world tournament.”
“We thanked the FIBA HQ and the DBB for inviting LOC representatives to the Eurobasket 2022,” SBP president Al Panlilio said. “The SBP believes that there is no better way to show our gratitude than by applying what we have learned and delivering the best World Cup ever.”
Included in the delegation were Erika Dy, deputy event director for the FIBA World Cup 2023, Philippines and Dickie Bachmann, current commissioner of the UAAP, who is also the head of LOC Operations for FBWC 2023, Philippines and John Lucas, head of Joint Management Committee Philippines.
Apart from learning from the German LOC, which hosted Eurobasket 2022, the SBP was also able to strengthen ties with our co-hosts from Indonesia and Japan, as well as sit down in very engaging discussions with FIBA HQ and FIBA Media, the main stakeholders of the World Cup 2023.