FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 bid in focus: Indonesia/Japan/Philippines
12/10/2017
FIBA Family
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FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 bid in focus: Indonesia/Japan/Philippines

MIES, Switzerland (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023) - Thursday August 31 marked the deadline for candidates bidding to host the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 to submit Candidature Files.

Russia and Turkey have each put forward single host nation bids, while Argentina/Uruguay and Indonesia/Japan/Philippines are teaming up in two multiple host countries candidacies.

FIBA's Central Board will award and announce the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 host(s) at its end-of-year meeting.

In the lead-up to the deadline, we give the floor to each bidder to talk about its candidacy.

Key facts about Indonesia/Japan/Philippines and basketball

Indonesia

  • Population: 260 million
  • Capital city: Jakarta
  • Joined FIBA in 1953

Japan

  • Population: 127 million
  • Capital city: Tokyo
  • Joined FIBA in 1936

Philippines

  • Population: 104 million
  • Capital city: Manila
  • Joined FIBA in 1936

Biggest basketball achievements to date

Indonesia

  • 2nd place at SEABA Championship (2017)
  • 6th place at FIBA Asia Championship (1960 and 1967)

Japan

  • 2-time FIBA Asia Championship winners (1965 and 1971)
  • 5-time FIBA Asia Championship runners-up (1969, 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1997)

Philippines

  • 3rd place at FIBA Basketball World Cup (1954)
  • 5-time FIBA Asia Championship winners (1960, 1963, 1967, 1973 and 1986)

Proposed cities

  • Province of Bocaue (Philippines)
  • Jakarta (Indonesia)
  • Okinawa (Japan)
  • Pasay City (Philippines)
  • Pasig City (Philippines)
  • Quezon City (Philippines)

Why did you decide to apply to host the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023?

Our region is the fastest growing region in the world. It is home to more than 4 billion people and in the three host countries alone there are more than 500 million people. It is also a part of the world where basketball has the chance to become the sport of choice for so many people. The Philippines is a place where the game of basketball is already the number one choice for kids while in Japan and Indonesia there is strong and growing passion for the game. We want to work with FIBA to get more people playing basketball in more places more often and our countries and our Region provide FIBA with a great place in which to make this a reality with the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 the perfect way to make this happen. We think our Bid will be very good for the game in our respective countries but, just as valuable, will be what playing the Tournament in our Region does for basketball globally.

Why did you decide to host FIBA's flagship event as part of a multiple host bid? What are the benefits that you see in doing so? 

Obviously, there is the opportunity to take world basketball's flagship event into three vibrant, powerful and growing markets for the game, something all of us are excited about given the potential it creates to build more momentum for the sport in these countries. More than this though, this is a wonderful opportunity for FIBA and basketball to be a truly global leader in sport. FIBA has had the vision to reimagine the way in which major sports events can be delivered by allowing more countries to dream of hosting elements of these global events, to have more countries aspire to host and to bring more countries together by working together to host is a terrific step for FIBA to adopt. Our countries want to bring FIBA's vision to life and show that basketball can be a global sports leader in this way. That is a really exciting part of this bid.

What are for you the main takeaways from FIBA's recent site workshop?

It is a big undertaking. The Tournament is only going to get bigger by the time 2023 comes around and that there is nothing that is being asked of us as Hosts that we can't deliver on.

FIBA