THE final phase or playoffs of the coming Fiba Basketball World Cup will now be held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City instead of the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
The Fiba Central Board ratified the move after citing serious concern over traffic and transportation for participating teams and basketball fans.
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"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 in a statement.
The final leg of the World Cup qualifiers was staged at the Philippine Arena last February in what supposed to be a dry run for the Aug. 25 to Sept. 10 basketball showcase.
FIBA noted though, about serious concerns on traffic and transportation.
Instead, Fiba decided to play the first two games of Gilas Pilipinas at the Philippine Arena.
The change in playing venue came a day before the official draw for the World Cup is held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
"In order to keep a key component of the bid, which was to establish a record attendance at the World Cup, the Board decided to play two games of the opening round for the group of the Philippines in the Philippine Arena," said FIBA.
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