SBP, LGUs sign covenant for Fiba Asia C’ship hosting

The stage is nearly set for the successful hosting of the Fiba Asia Men’s Championship as Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Manuel V. Pangilinan along with Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino, and the representatives of the cities of Makati, Manila, and Pasay forged a covenant last Friday that will ensure the successful staging of the tournament set for Aug. 1 to 11.

“Importante kasi kailangan ng SBP ang support ng local government for the success of the tournament,” said Pangilinan in a press statement. “The different cities will help in providing the hotels for the players, the VIPs, team officials, and referees. They will also be providing security for the entire event. It’s an important event not just for Philippine basketball but also for the country. It’s a terrific opportunity to show the world that we can host a world-class event. If successful, this can open the door for other big or even bigger events.”

Although Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto was unable to attend the event, he sent his representative Dennis Acorda to extend the support of the city of Pasay.

“We extended the use of the recently refurbished Cuneta Astrodome for practices – free of use – for all the teams. And we will be coordinating with the MMDA and PNP for traffic and the safety of everyone for these games. This is a big deal also for the city of Pasay.”

For his part, MMDA Chairman Tolentino bared that although there will be no traffic re-routing schemes, they will assist in the traffic and crowd management in and around the event areas.

“It’s a total effort,” said Pangilinan. “To demonstrate to the guest delegations our particular brand of hospitality. This isn’t just about basketball, it’s about putting our best foot forward.”

The basketball matches of the Fiba Asia tournament will be staged at several venues bannered by the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila. The Cuneta Astrodome will also be the site for the various countries’ practices.

The 2013 FIBA Asia Championship is only the second time that the Philippines will be hosting the prestigious international basketball tournament. The last time the country hosted Fiba was in 1973 and it was the last time the country won a major basketball tournament. At stake for the top three countries is a slot at the FIBA World Championship. /with reports from sbp media bureau