Philippine World Cup bid has ‘fighting chance’

MANILA, Philippines - TV5 Sports head and former Gilas national coach Chot Reyes said yesterday the Philippines has “a fighting chance” to clinch the hosting rights for the 2019 FIBA World Cup but admitted China, the other bid finalist, is a major stumbling block with its “money and facilities.”

Reyes said it’s a 50-50 proposition with both countries set to face the FIBA Central Board in making a 20-minute audio-visual presentation and appearing in a closed-door, question-and-answer session in Tokyo on Aug. 7. Reyes, Jimmy Alapag and another speaker will represent the Philippines during the audio-visual presentation which is to be held in a staging area at the Prince Park Tower Hotel. The bidding countries are allowed to bring in a viewing delegation of 30 each. The presentations will reportedly be accessible via live streaming on the FIBA website.

While Reyes was tight-lipped on the details of the Philippine presentation, he said the three key points are the country’s passion for basketball, the game as a unifying element and the Filipino people’s creativity and connectivity. “We know China’s advantage to be its resources,” he said. “It’s a tough challenge for any country to go against China which is bidding to host many other events like the 2022 Winter Olympics. But I believe we’ve got a fighting chance. First, our people love basketball like no other people in the world. Second, this event will showcase our unity as a country, the unity of the private and public sectors in working together to make it happen. The whole country is behind our bid. A survey established that almost 100 percent of our population supports it. Finally, we’ll make a strong case of our ability to create an unforgettable experience for the world’s greatest players.”

Only an hour has been allotted by FIBA for the Chinese and Philippine presentations from 4 to 5 p.m. Then, key officials of both countries will be called for separate closed-door sessions. The first part of the closed-door sessions will delve on “sensitive” issues while the second part, on operational matters. SBP president and FIBA Central Board member Manny V. Pangilinan will head the Philippine panel for both parts. He will likely be accompanied by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario and Secretary of Tourism Ramon Jimenez for the first part and SBP executive director Sonny Barrios and SBP deputy executive director for international affairs Butch Antonio for the second. The closed-door sessions will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

After the closed-door sessions, the FIBA Central Board will convene to decide the host country within a 15-minute window. The decision will be announced at about 6:45 p.m.

The “sensitive” issues will likely include peace and order, political stability and government support while the operational matters will involve logistical arrangements such as the availability of stadiums and hotels, accommodations, in-land transportation and practice venues.

Reyes said he doesn’t think a co-hosting option is viable. There has been speculation that considering the strained relations between the Philippines and China pertinent to claims of sovereignty over disputed waters, FIBA could stage a “diplomatic coup” by announcing a partnership similar to the 2002 FIFA World Cup which South Korea and Japan co-hosted.  This year’s FIBA EuroBasket will feature a co-hosting arrangement among Germany, Croatia, Latvia and France so it’s not as if the governing body hasn’t approved the scheme.

Reyes added that reports of Chinese deputy sports minister and FIBA vice president Xian Tian under investigation for corruption by the Chinese government’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection may or may not impact on China’s acceptability as FIBA World Cup host. “I can’t comment on that,” he said. “I have no knowledge of that situation except for what is available in media.”

China’s bid is anchored on the slogan “More Than Ever” which presupposes its readiness to host the 32-nation FIBA World Cup in 2019. There will be more countries participating in 2019 than in Spain where 24 played last year and China’s pitch is presumably its ability to welcome more teams with more resources.

In its bid, China will offer eight stadiums in different cities to host the World Cup preliminaries where FIBA requires only four. Not even former FIBA Asia Championship host cities Shanghai, Harbin and Tianjin are in the list of eight cities. Not even Changsha, which is hosting this year’s FIBA Asia Championships, is in the lineup, indicating the depth of China’s bench. The eight cities in the bid proposal are Beijing, Wuhan, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Foshan and Dongguan.

China has promised packed stadiums and passionate crowds. “No doubt, China can pack stadiums because of their population but it’s hard to believe that the fans can be even as equally passionate as Filipino fans,” said a long-time basketball observer and media practitioner. “I’ve watched videos of games played in China and while the stands are full of people, camera scans will reveal many of them not paying attention to what’s happening on the court, instead using their cellphones or playing with kids or sleeping or reading a newspaper. In Asia, the Philippines has repeatedly proved it has the most passionate basketball fans. When Manila hosted the FIBA Asia Championships in 2013, the Mall of Asia Arena was jammed with cheering fans even during games where the Philippines didn’t play. That’s the ambiance the Philippines can create for the FIBA World Cup.”