FIBA World Cup 2019 logo unveiled in China

THE FIBA World Cup happening in China in 2019 took further form this week with the unveiling of the official logo of the tournament.

In ceremonies held in Shanghai on Tuesday, FIBA and Chinese officials, basketball stakeholders and partners witnessed the launch of the logo, which proponents said is representative of the host country and what the tournament stands for.

The logo draws its inspiration from the Beijing Opera, one of the most symbolic cultural icons of China.

It showcases the legends of the strongest with the colorful facial makeup of the actors symbolizing characteristics such as wisdom, persistence, power and perfection — the exact qualities the participating players and national teams at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 will need in order to succeed.

Officials said each basketball game will be reminiscent of another Chinese cultural legend — the dance of two dragons. In a traditional Chinese Dragon Dance, the two flying dragons do battle in the quest for the “shining pearl.” On the stage of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, the shining pearl will be the Naismith Trophy, the reward given to the newly crowned world champion.

On hand to witness the launch of the logo were a number of distinguished guests including Patrick Baumann, FIBA secretary- general and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member; Burton Shipley, chairman of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Coordination Commission; Weng Tiehui, vice- mayor of Shanghai; Li Yingchuan, assistant minister of China’s General Administration of Sports (CGAS); and Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and ambassador of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 will be played from Aug. 31 to Sept. 15 and feature a record 32 teams.

It will be staged in eight Chinese cities across five provinces — Beijing, Foshan, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Nanjing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Starting this November, 80 teams, including the Philippines’ Gilas team, will compete in a two-year qualifying process to be among the 31 national teams joining the host country at China 2019, where they will battle for the right to be crowned world champion.

Next stop for the preparation for the FIBA World Cup 2019 is the draw for the qualifiers which will take place on May 7 in Guangzhou.