Delegates sent by Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas are shown in this photo with FIBA officials and delegates from the host countries. The SBP delegates are John Lucas, head of Joint Management Committee Philippines; Dickie Bachmann, head of the LOC Operations for FBWC 2023; and Erika Dy, deputy event director for FBWC 2023. They join FIBA officials led by Ingo Weiss, FIBA treasurer, and David Crocker, WC 2023 executive director. Handout
To get a better feel of how to host a World Cup, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials were invited to observe the staging of Eurobasket 2022 in Berlin.
The Philippines first hosted the international tournament in 1978 — then known as the FIBA World Championship — when there were only 14 participating squads coming from five federations.
In the FIBA World Cup 2023, it will be the first time the event will be hosted by multiple countries as the Philippines shares duties with Japan and Indonesia, but Manila will hold the most number of games at 40, including the final phase or playoff matches.
A total of 32 teams or countries will quality for the 2023 World Cup — six out of Asia, seven from the Americas, five from Africa, 12 from Europe and two for the hosts (Philippines and Japan).
The SBP delegation got a first-hand experience of how the Eurobasket 2022 was staged in Berlin with no less than the global leaders in the field.
The delegates witnessed new innovations introduced in Germany, as the FIBA headquarters work on putting a more engaging fan experience and making the game more exciting to players and spectators.
The Philippines, considered a basketball-crazy nation, should expect a tournament that gives importance to more fan interaction at the venue. With the SBP having seen what the Eurobasket 2022 was like, the sports body intends to top what they saw in Germany next year.
“We thanked the FIBA HQ and the DBB for inviting LOC representatives to the Eurobasket 2022. The SBP believes that there is no better way to show our gratitude than by applying what we have learned and delivering the best World Cup ever,” SBP president Al Panlilio said.
Included in the delegation were Erika Dy, deputy event director for the FIBA World Cup 2023, Philippines; and Dickie Bachmann, current commissioner of the UAAP, who is also the head of LOC Operations for FBWC 2023, Philippines; and John Lucas, head of Joint Management Committee Philippines.
Apart from learning from the German LOC, which hosted Eurobasket 2022, the SBP strengthened ties with co-hosts Indonesia and Japan, as well as sit down in discussions with FIBA HQ and FIBA Media, the main stakeholders of the World Cup 2023.