Hastag PUSO2019 (#PUSO2019) just became #SugatangPUSO2019.
The International Basketball Federation's (FIBA) Central Board has made its decision last August 7, 2015 at Tokyo, Japan. The People's Republic of China has won to be the host country of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, leaving the Republic of the Philippines "heart-broken".
With votes 14-7, China emerged to bag another major sporting event to be hosted, as it will be hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics as well, but this is the first for a FIBA flagship event.
The decision leaned towards China in terms of modernization and progress of the country. They presented modern transportation (i.e. bullet trains) for faster and more convenient transfer of athletes from city-to-city and high-end hotels that can cater to taller basketball players, such as the 7-foot-6 former NBA superstar Yao Ming, a Chinese himself. They also highlighted the ability to widely promote and market the game because of its strong economy and steadily increasing high population.
Additionally, Philippine delegation presenter leader Manny V. Pangilinan said in a TV interview that China can host FIBA 2019 "next week" very confidently. He added, "Ready na sila eh tayo hindi pa tayo ready dahil 'yung arena sa Cebu hindi pa gawa at tsaka yung Araneta Coliseum, kailangan ma-i-renovate. Kaya we're not ready until 2019, so mas safe ang China".
Meanwhile, the Philippines' hashtag PUSO2019 (#PUSO2019) trended to circulate its intentions to host the FIBA 2019 and gain more support from Filipinos around the world amidst the bidding war with China.
Also, the Philippine delegation pitched how deeply-rooted basketball is to Filipino culture and its people. However, it seemed that Filipinos' passion, love, and dedication to the sport weren't enough to claim victory.
It was clearly the Chinese's advantage to be able to host previous recent sporting events, like 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2010 Asian Games. The most recent opportunity for Philippines to host an international sporting event was the 2014 ASEAN School Games in Marikina.
The Philippine presenters included Manny V. Pangilinan (Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas president), Lou Diamond Philipps (Fil-Am Hollywood actor), Jimmy Alapag (former national basketball team player), and Coach Chot Reyes (former national basketball team head coach).
Sources:
Rappler
FIBA
