THE smooth movement of the participants during the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup is one of the priorities of the local organizing committee when the country hosts the tournament from August 25 to September 10.
Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas president Al Panlilio said all steps are being taken in order for the delegates to travel seamlessly from one point to the other.
“We are putting all the resources to make sure that we would make it as seamless experience not only for our fans but for our players because they would experience the same traffic,” said Panlilio.
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One of the concerns of the organizing committee is the traffic flow for the August 25 game where participants will be travelling to the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan for two games, including Gilas Pilipinas' match against the Dominican Republic.
Aware of transportation issues from previous competitions overseas, Panlilio said the organizing committee will ensure that there won’t be any undue advantage for Gilas over the Dominican Republic on August 25, Angola on August 27, or Italy on August 29.
“In fact, what we are trying to do para walang masabi, iko-convoy naman ‘yung dalawang teams. Kasi baka mauna ‘yung Gilas, mahuli ‘yung Dominican Republic, sabihin nila, sabotage. Dito, [they will travel] at the same time, they will be on the same convoy, they will arrive at the arena at the same time,” said Panlilio.
Gilas knows the feeling, for sure.
In the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship in Changsha, then-SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan vented on Twitter after Gilas' travel to the venue for the title match against host China was delayed due to an 'uncharged electric bus.'
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Panlilio promised that such issues won’t happen here.
“Fair is fair. And I think that’s how we host,” said Panlilio. “We want this to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for not only the fans but also the players who will be competing in the Philippines,” said Panlilio.
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