Qualifiers make strong impact on Asian fans
MANILA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - The first window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers was filled to the brim with exciting hardwood action, and fans took notice.
All over Asia, thousands of fans filled stadiums and saw their hardcourt idols in the flesh. The Asian Qualifiers were a real treat for the followers of the national teams, especially since not all countries have been able to host major basketball tournaments in the past.
Likewise, it was also an amazing experience for the players. It's not every day that Korean players get to play for their national team in an official FIBA Asia fixture in front of more than 4,000 fans at home. The same can be said for Chinese Taipei players who played in front of 5,000 fans or Jordanian players who performed with 6,000 fans cheering them on.
Let us also not forget more than 11,000 Filipinos packing into the Smart Araneta Coliseum to witness their Gilas Pilipinas rally past a game Chinese Taipei. Perhaps even more impressive is how 14,000 Chinese watched Team Dragon demolish Hong Kong in Nanjing.
The Asian Qualifiers also gave a wonderful chance for storylines to take place and surprising results to catch us all off guard and direct the narrative further into more intriguing areas. Remember how Korea won on the road against the Tall Blacks and then how the Koreans were ambushed at home by China? Remember how Jordan tripped rivals Lebanon at the Prince Hamza stadium? Remember Iraq shocking the continent with a tremendous upset of Iran on Day 1?
These are the storylines that seize our collective imagination and widen the possibilities for Asian basketball. These are the scenarios that are buoyed by having our teams play home and away. These are the results that will be talked about for years to come.
Much has been said and written about the Qualifiers and the New Competition System, but what really came to the fore in the past week since the first window has been held is how this gives an unprecedented opportunity to bring basketball where it really belongs closer to the fans. That's why the game is amazing, that's how it has made a strong impact and that's how it will continue to grow. Basketball has come home, and it's beautiful. fiba.basketball