President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gets a Gilas Pilipinas jersey from Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executives Al Panlilio and Manny V. Pangilinan. –PCO HANDOUT
MANILA, Philippines— As the Philippines prepares for the Fiba Basketball World Cup 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday reminisced about his father’s role when the games were held in the country for the first time in 1978.
The Philippines is set to co-host the Basketball World Cup 2023 in August, along with Japan and Indonesia.
“I was there when my father first tossed the ball and I’m quite pleased to be able to—I didn’t realize that that was the first time that it happened here in the Philippines,” the President told delegates of Fiba Central Board and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).
According to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. made the ceremonial toss for the 1978 Basketball World Cup, –then known as the Fiba World Championship–which was the first time it was held in the Philippines.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. along with members of the Fiba Central Board which includes former NBA stars Yao Ming and Dirk Nowitzki. –PCO HANDOUT
“And I’m happy that I will be there for the time that it will — the Fiba events will return— World Cup now, will return to the Philippines. So it would be an honor for me to reenact perhaps, reenact what my father did in 1978,” said Marcos Jr.
Marcos emphasized the Filipino’s love of basketball, saying that it held great benefits for the people.
“And when I look, when you look at sports, and everything that it entails, I said this is one of the very few activities that we can think of from which there really is no downside,” he added.