By REYNALD MAGALLON
The knockout rounds of the 2023 FIBA World Cup will now be played at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City instead of its initial venue at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
The FIBA Central Board ratified the move on Friday, April 29, citing concerns over the traffic and transportation of the participating teams and fans over the six playing days of the Final Phase.
“Despite improvements tested with transport and traffic engineers, the Board came to the conclusion that an event with multiple sessions in one day like the Final Phase of the World Cup couldn’t be delivered to the standards required for the players and fans experience,” said FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Executive Director David Crocker in a statement.
FIBA also cited the case in the last and final window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup asian qualifiers last February when heavy traffic before and after the Gilas Pilipinas games were experienced around the humongous 50,000-seater arena.
As a result, the Final phase of the tournament will be exclusively played at the MOA Arena while the Philippine Arena, instead, will host the first two games of Gilas Pilipinas in the group phase.
“The priority that led to this decision is the experience of our fans. This is in service to the Filipino basketball fans, as well as those arriving from all over the world,” said SBP President Al Panlilio in a statement.
“We thank our brothers and sisters from the Iglesia ni Cristo and the Philippine Arena Management, specifically, for being a true partner in this endeavor and we appreciate their support of the final decision that was reached,” he added.
Meanwhile, emails will be sent to the fans who have already purchased tickets, informing them of the venue change and further continued advice as to their tickets and seats.
