PH team off to Geneva for Fiba World Cup bid

THE PHILIPPINES takes the first step in its quest to land the 2019 Fiba World Cup hosting chore as a six-man team led by Tourism Undersecretary and COO Domingo Enerio III departs today for Switzerland to attend the bidding workshop in Geneva.

Joining Enerio in the trip are Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials led by Patrick Gregorio and executive director Sonny Barrios.

Butch Antonio, the deputy executive director for international affairs, logistics consultant Andrew Teh and Sean Nicholls, the president of sports marketing and advertising firm Octagon Asia-Pacific, are the other members of the team.

The SBP employed the services of Nicholls’ firm to help the SBP clinch the hosting of the World Cup.

SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan expressed the country’s interest in hosting the World Cup following Gilas Pilipinas’ courageous performance during the last edition’s staging in Spain in August.

“We are very serious about the bid process and we will be there to win it,” said SBP vice chair Ricky Vargas.

Six cities staged group matches in the Spain World Cup with the Philippines seeing action in Seville and winning in overtime against Senegal. It was the country’s first victory in over 40 years in the tournament.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez expressed keen interest in the Fiba hosting and asked Enerio to join the trip.

The workshop, scheduled on Dec. 15 and 16, is the second item in the candidate phase of the World Cup bidding calendar after the expression of interest and applicant phases.

Germany, France, China, Lithuania and Brazil, among others, have also signified their intention to host the World Cup. The country last hosted the event in 1978.