The Araneta Coliseum is already spruced up and ready to host another historic sporting event. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
MANILA, Philippines — The Smart Araneta Coliseum went through major renovations to prepare its hosting of the Group A and Group B games in the Fiba World Cup 2023.
The historic Big Dome, which is hosting whole preliminary round games of the two groups from August 26 to September 3, made major court upgrades with new basketball flooring, backboard, rims, and shot clock.
It is hosting the World Cup for the second time since the semifinal and championship games of the 1978 World Cup edition, where Yugoslavia prevailed over the Soviet Union.
Araneta Coliseum also replaced its previous jumbotron with a new and bigger LED scoreboard cube. Audience seats have been refurbished and more snack booths added. The dugouts were also renovated.
The venue also built a dedicated media working area located near the Red Gate to accommodate local and foreign journalists.
“Hosting the Fiba Basketball World Cup is a momentous highlight for us and for the country this 2023. We are making all the necessary adjustments and improvements to make this once-in-a-lifetime event memorable for all players,” said Irene Jose, COO of Uniprom Inc. — the entertainment arm of Araneta Group.
The games at the Big Dome will tip off on Saturday with South Sudan facing Puerto Rico at 4 p.m., followed by the clash between Serbia and China.
Gilas Pilipinas battles Angola on Sunday at 8 p.m. after the Italy-Dominican Republic match.
The Philippines wraps up its Group A campaign against Italy on Tuesday next week with the hope of entering the next round.