China has vowed to do all that it can to win the hosting of the 2018 Fiba World Cup.
This determination may cause a bit of anxiety among every basketball-loving Filipino, most especially the group, led by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manny V. Pangilinan, that is flying to Tokyo next month to make its final presentation to the Fiba central board.
The choice is between the Philippines and China, which claims that it already has potential investors and infrastructure to host the tournament. China is offering eight venues, twice the number required by Fiba.
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For the Aug. 7 meeting in Tokyo, Fiba has allowed each presenter a delegation of 30 people, which in our case should include SBP and PBA officials, politicians and ranking government officials.
The delegation’s composition has not been announced by SBP, but according to reports, the list includes Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, Sen. Sonny Angara, Rep. Robbie Puno, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr.
The main feature of the presentation is a 20-minute audio-visual show. It will be followed by a question-and-answer portion that is projected to take an hour and a half to finish.
Former Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes and former national player Jimmy Alapag, now Meralco’s team manager in the PBA, have been tapped as moderators of the Philippine presentation.
It isn’t clear if China will also be making its presentation on the same day, but this corner was told that Fiba will announce its selection of the host country after the presentations. PBA chair Pato Gregorio has denied this report, though.
SBP earlier said it will anchor its campaign to host the Fiba World Cup on the status of basketball as the No. 1 sport in a country known for the hospitality of its people and its capability to organize big sporting events.
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The Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, said to be biggest indoor arena in the world, is at the center of a controversy among members of the Manalo family of Iglesia ni Cristo, which owns it.
Apparently, the controversy started even before the multibillion facility was constructed. The Manalo family is divided over the construction of the expensive arena using money from the church.
Ka Angel Manalo, younger brother of INC head Eduardo, said it was Eduardo and his core of business-minded ministers who masterminded the arena’s construction.
“Now they are having difficulty maintaining the place, so they have to collect from the congregation,” Ka Angel said on national television. “Hingi sila nang hingi ng abuloy. Abuloy! Abuloy! (They keep collecting alms from the INC members!)”