FIBA WC chair already sets sight on future with PH, Japan, Indonesia ahead of '23 edition

It's just 2020, but FIBA is already excited for the 2023 World Cup. Dennis Acosta (file photo)

By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--It may not be 2023 yet, but FIBA World Cup chairman Richard Carrion is already thinking beyond it.

Carrion hopes that FIBA's partnership with the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia will blossom further after they host the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

"We are looking forward to the continued collaboration with these host nations," Carrion said on Friday following the first meeting of the FIBA World Cup board earlier in the week.

FIBA president Hamane Niang, secretary general Andreas Zagklis, and central board members Manny Pangilinan, Erick Thohir, and Yuko Mitsuya, who make up the rest of the board for the upcoming quadrennial event, also graced the online meeting.

The 2023 edition will be the first time multiple countries will host the tournament, which according to Carrion is "another level" in hosting it.

The FIBA World Cup will take from Aug. 25-Sept. 10, 2023 across six cities, four in the Philippines (Pasig, Quezon City, Pasay, and Bocaue), one in Japan (Okinawa), and one in Indonesia (Jakarta). The continental qualifiers, on the other hand, will commence beginning November 2021.

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