INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
The Philippines is still in the running to host the 2023 Fiba World Cup as the international basketball federation trimmed down the candidates to just two.
FIBA guaranteed that the 2023 edition will be staged in multiple countries for the first time as the three-nation bid of the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia and the joint proposal of Argentina and Uruguay were selected as the finalists for the 32-team global hoops extravaganza.
The two bidders submitted their Host Nation Agreements on the deadline day, confirming their interest to hold the 19th edition of the Basketball World Cup.
FIBA is pursuing the multi-country hosting becayse of its success in recent years according Fiba Secretary General Patrick Baumann.
“This was the case at the last two editions of the FIBA EuroBasket as well as at FIBA AfroBasket 2017 and the FIBA AmeriCup 2017. We are fully confident this formula will also work to great effect for our flagship competition. Furthermore, these are countries with rich basketball traditions and passionate fans.”
Both candidates will present their proposals to the Fiba Central Board on December 9 and the Board will also award the hosting on the same day.
The Philippines lost out to China in its hosting bid in the 2019 Fiba World Cup.
It hasn’t served as the hosts of the biggest international basketball tournament since 1978, where Yugoslavia won the title.
Japan last staged the Fiba World Cup in 2006 in Saitama, while Indonesia has yet to hold the said event.
Argentina has hosted the basketball competition twice before, in the inaugural staging in 1950 and in 1990, both in Buenos Aires, while its partner Uruguay held it in 1967 in Montevideo.