The Philippines’ successful hosting of the 2023 FIBA Men’s Basketball World Cup last year, not only placed the country on the map of hoops fans globally, but also opens up the doors for even more opportunities in the future, Senator Sonny Angara said today.
Angara, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP), led the sponsorship of Senate Resolution No. 857 during the Senate’s plenary session on Tuesday, to honor all the organizations and individuals who helped in making the hosting of the momentous event a reality.
“This took place because of the incredible multi-stakeholder effort that started in 2017, led by Chairman Emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan of the SBP. We gained the rights to host the prestigious tournament again, nearly four decades after we first secured such in 1978,” Angara said.
“Holding the tournament across different nations already posed its set of sizable challenges. But these were only intensified with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected almost all mobility for close to three years. Gayunpaman, hindi tumigil ang SBP at FIBA Local Organizing Committee (LOC) sa trabaho at preparasyon. Ito po’y bukod sa hirap at pagod na kinailangan para palakasin pa lalo ang sarili nating koponan—ang Gilas Pilipinas,” the Senator added.
Unanimously adopted by the Senate and co-authored by all senators, the resolution commended Pangilinan; SBP president Alfredo Panlilio; the Board of Trustees of the FIBA LOC; the Executive Branch and the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force under A.O. No. 5, s. 2023 including the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Health, Department of Interior and Local Government; Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Tourism, Department of Transportation, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, Philippine National Police, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority; all government agencies and instrumentalities and local government units that provided assistance; the volunteers; and the private sector.
Apart from heightened recognition worldwide, the Philippines’ hosting of the FIBA World Cup also resulted in an economic impact equivalent to an estimated P18.8 billion, the most among the three host countries since Manila hosted the final phase of the tournament.
Part of this, Angara explained, was attributed to the hotels utilized by the players, organizers and spectators; the restaurants; and other commercial establishments that all gained an uptick in profits as a result of the FIBA World Cup hosting.
Quoting a report of Nielsen Sports, Angara also noted that the FIBA World Cup 2023 generated an attendance of 700,665 for the three host cities. This includes the 38,115 attendees for the opening ceremony held at the Philippine Arena that set a record for attendance to the FIBA World Cup.
“Not only did we solidify further our spot in the pantheon of basketball-loving countries, we also gained the experience and the know-how of organizing a truly world-class sporting event. We should not allow the lessons we’ve learned and the confidence we’ve gained go to waste. Here was a clear example of what we as Filipinos can accomplish when we work together towards achieving a single vision,” Angara said.
“The fact that we have already done it with hosting the FIBA World Cup only means we can do it again for another world-class competition or another multi-country global event. And hopefully with each iteration, we do it better than the one before. At this point, we are only limited by our ambition,” he added.
