SBP ready to get to work for World Cup hosting

MANILA, Philippines -- Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) will hit the ground running as it prepares for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which the Philippines will co-host with Indonesia and Japan.

SBP chairman emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and president Al Panlilio arrived in Manila on Tuesday morning with the FIBA flag, which was handed over to them by Yao Ming of the Chinese Basketball Association in Beijing last Sunday evening.

With them were SBP executive director Sonny Barrios and PBA chairman Ricky Vargas.

"The hard work start(ed) that Sunday night, when China's hosting rights, their hosting of the event finished. Therefore, the work starts," Pangilinan said in a brief press conference at the Manila Life Cafe in NAIA Terminal 3.

This much was said to Pangilinan and the SBP officials by "certain officers of FIBA," after the turnover ceremony.

"Right after the flag was given to us, they were telling us that now your work begins. Right now, right? Di ba? So I said, 'Yes, of course, we know that,'" said Pangilinan.

According to Panlilio, they will hold an alignment meeting with FIBA, Japan and Indonesia in November, to get the ball rolling.

"Obviously, from a FIBA point of view, they want every World Cup to be better than the last," said Panlilio. "So I think that's the challenge that we face."

"We have to coordinate with Indonesia and Japan in respect to their hosting to ensure that we have a common theme, a common mascot, a common slogan and common programs," Pangilinan also said.

SBP sent a team to China to observe its hosting of the World Cup, and they learned plenty of lessons from the event -- particularly from a logistics standpoint. There were eight host cities in China, and travel became an issue when teams had to move from one city to the next.

"I think they were saying that in some cases, the teams had only one rest day because they have to travel and then they have to play already the next day. So I think even FIBA is learning from this format," said Panlilio.

"It will be the same problems that we will have in terms of scheduling. So I think there will be adjustments as we move forward. But yes, I think FIBA is also learning at the same time," he added.

There will be a similar issue in 2023, when teams move from Indonesia and Japan to Manila for the quarterfinals. Manila will host 16 teams, while Jakarta and Okinawa will host 8 teams each.

"But that's the only issue. One movement lang from Okinawa to Manila, and from Jakarta to Manila. That's the only significant distance situation," said Pangilinan. ABSCBN News