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IT'S PHILIPPINES OR CHINA AS FIBA DECIDES TODAY THE HOSTING OF WORLD BASKETBALL CUP IN 2019 By Eddie Alinea PhilBoxing.com Fri, 07 Aug 2015  It's judgement day today as far as the Philippines' bid to host the World Basketball Cup four years from now is concerned. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Central Board is meeting today in Tokyo to decide the fate of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' offer to bring back he championship this shore. Only China, a country that staged the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and is about to host the Winter Games, remains in the way for the Philippines to repeat holding of the same biennial sporting event the country successfully held 37 years ago in 1978. A 30-man or so delegation, headed by SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan, MVP to the business and sports communities, and including the immensely popular Filipino eight-division boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, has already flown to Tokyo believed equipped with tools to show proof to members of the FIBA Central Board of the Philippines' capabilities to again host the 32-nation tournament, the biggest and most prestigious, outside of the Olympics, sanctioned by basketball's ruling body.  A star studded Philippine delegation headed by business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan and international celebrities Manny Pacquiao and Lou Diamond Philips are in Japan to convince the FIBA honchos to award the hosting of the FIBA World Basketball Cup 2019 to the Philippines.  As announced by MVP himself and his aides, the Philippines' campaign is centered on he Filipinos' deep passion for basketball, which happens to be their national pastime since the mid-50s after a national team headed by its skipper Lauro "The Fox" Mumar and Carlos "The Big Difference" Loyzaga, who was named member of the World Team following the tournament held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The SBP, in fact, has coined #PUSO2019 for the purpose -- a means of showing the FIBA Central Board how the sport of basketball is loved in this country and how much staging here of the 2019 edition means to our people. This writer was not made privy by someone in the SBP office when he called the other day how MVP, Pacquiao and company will be able to convince the FIBA Central Board that the Filipinos' heart (Puso) of the Philippines' capabilities to host such a big and important sports event. Or how the "Most Valuable Fans" award accorded the Philippine team in the 2014 Wold Cup held in Spain could strengthen our case. But he same man, who requested anonimity, he interviewed also said that among the justifications MVP and party brought with them was the success attained when we first hosted the World Cup, then simply called the World Championship 37 years ago. The 1978 Manila World Basketball Championship was so successful, indeed, that no less than FIBA secretary general Boris Stankovic declared during the farewell banquet that the world championship will never be the same again because the Manila tournament had just became the yardstick of the next championships that will follow. Held for he first time in the Far East where it was originally scheduled in 1962 but was aborted for the refusal of he government to grant entry visas to players and officials representing socialist countries. Despite this untoward incident that led FIBA to withdraw recognition to the Philippines, the Manila world tilt turned out to be an elegant and most well-organized in the event's 28-year history. And why not? Venues of games were held at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila, which was built in 1934 for the staging of that year's 10th and final edition of the Far Eastern Games, acknowledged as percursor of the now Asian Games, and the air-conditioned Araneta Colisdeum in Quezon City, site of the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier world heavyweight championship fight, alo known as the "Thrilla In Manila," held in 1975. Two hoophouses that gave premium to the comfort and convinient of players and officials of all competing teams and the general public. The two playing venues, of course, were far cry from the Old Luna Park Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a decrepit but revered wire-encased court where the first championship was held in 1950. The Rizal Coliseum and the Big Dome also came as welcome treat compared to an open air football field cum basketball court in Santiago, Chile, host of the 1959 tourney, as well as the infamous "frigidaire" court in an old building swept by biting snow-winds from the Pole in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1967. Air-conditoned buses were stationed in hotels daily where teams were billeted ready anytime to bring them to playing and practice venues and back. Delegation officials and VIP guests were provided with limousines for that purpose and to bring them to shopping malls and tourists places when needed. The most significant aspect of that 1978 hosting, and this writer hopes the MVP group realizes it, was that the tournament was held at the same time that he country was also playing host to the World Chess Championship between USSR defending champion Anatoly Karpov and Swiss challenger Viktor Korchnoi being held simultaneously in he country's summer capital Baguio City. This, made the Philippines the only third country in the world, at least then, to stage a pair of big international sporting events. If this is not enough proof of the Philippines' and the Filipinos' qualities to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup, this writer wouldn't know what is. Karpov, who the eventually won the match to keep his title, even had to ask Filipino FIDE president Florencio Campomanes to move his game on the day of he final between Russia and Yugoslavia to another day so he can watch the title playoff. He went back to Baguio frustrated though after witnessing the Slavs dethroned his countrymen, 82-81. Hosting events of the FIBA World Cup is not new to the Philippines and its people. The Philippines was also the host of the third and last of the classic Ali-Frazier trilogy in 1975. Everyday for one year, from the time it won the hosting the country's name wass carried in all media outfit all over the world describing how efficient are its people in organizing event of such magnitude. A year before the world basketball tourney, people all over the universe were also able to follow the hapening in the 25th and Silver Anniversary celebration of the World Cup of Golf hosted by he fabled Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City. Name any sport, like softball to name one, and the Philippines, at one time or another, had hosted them. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.  |
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