MIES (Switzerland) - The most exciting young players of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 will have a chance to make history as the first ever winner of the prestigious Wanda Rising Star Award. 

The newly launched accolade by FIBA's Global Partner, Wanda Group, will play an exciting role in showcasing and rewarding the most promising and impactful young player of the flagship men's tournament. 

With a surplus of talent waiting to step out in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia when the tournament tips off on Friday, August 25, there is likely to be fierce competition contention.

The selection criteria for the Wanda Rising Star Award is that candidates must be  21 years old or younger (born 2002 or after) and play a minimum of 4 games in the competition. Candidates will be selected based on individual performances and the wider impact on their respective teams.

A shortlist of candidates will be announced on September 4, before the start of the Final Phase, with the final selection being made by a combination of media voting and an expert FIBA panel. 

The winner of the Wanda Rising Star Award will be presented with the award in a special ceremony at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in Manila.

Dr Chenggen Hu, General Manager of Wanda Sports Group International Business Department, said: "Reflecting our long-term strategic partnership with FIBA, it's exciting to be able to look ahead by promoting the best young players who could become the biggest stars at future tournaments.

"We are proud to be able to play our part in providing this Wanda Rising Star Award and especially with so much anticipation and attention around what promises to be the biggest FIBA Basketball World Cup in history."

Frank Leenders, FIBA Media and Marketing Services Director General added: "We're delighted to introduce this new award with a valued FIBA Global Partner such as Wanda as it demonstrates how our joint focus on promoting basketball globally, which includes supporting the all-important next generation.

"This award will be something that further raises the profile of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and I am sure fans and the media will enjoy debating who deserves to take the honor for the first time."

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About the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 
The 19th edition of FIBA's flagship event, the FIBA Basketball World Cup, is taking place for the first time across three host nations in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia from August 25 to September 10.   

For more information on the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, visit www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023 or follow the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Wanda Group
As one of the world’s largest listed sports companies, Wanda Sports is the global and exclusive Chinese local partner for more than a dozen world sports organizations, including FIBA, FIFA, WA, WMM and IIHF. Basketball, football and winter sports, in particular, are the core assets of Wanda Sports. Wanda Sports has successfully held a number of world-class sporting events in China, including IRONMAN triathlon series, China Cup International Football Championship, UCI World Tour-Tour of Guangxi, Diamond League Xiamen, Chengdu International Marathon, Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon China series, and the finals of the BWF World Tour. More international sporting events will be brought to China in 2024, including winter sports, basketball and motorcycle racing. These events will fill multiple gaps in China’s sports market and will greatly promote the comprehensive development of the country’s sports industry.