2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multiple nations for the first time in its history—the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia—from 25 August to 10 September 2023.
It was the first World Cup to be hosted in Indonesia, and the second to be hosted in both the Philippines and Japan, with both having first hosted the tournament in 1978 and 2006, respectively. The tournament was also the second of three-straight World Cups to be held in Asia after China's hosting of the 2019 edition and Qatar's upcoming hosting of the 2027 tournament, and the first time in tournament history that a host nation has not qualified. It also served as qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics, in which the top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, and the top team from each of Africa, Asia and Oceania, qualified alongside the tournament's host France.
Germany went undefeated at the tournament to win their first title by defeating Serbia 83–77 in the final. It was the first appearance at the World Cup final for Germany, while for Serbia it would be its second in three tournaments, having appeared in the 2014 final. Canada went on to win the bronze medal, its first medal in World Cup history, after defeating the United States 127–118.
The tournament also set a record for the most-attended World Cup game in history, with 38,115 spectators attending the Dominican Republic vs. Philippines game at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, breaking the previous one of 32,616 set during the 1994 final at the SkyDome in Toronto. Latvia, Georgia, Cape Verde and South Sudan all made their first World Cup appearances, with Latvia placing in the top five. Co-hosts Japan qualified for the Olympics by virtue of being the best-performing Asian team, while co-hosts Philippines qualified for the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Both co-hosts registered wins in the tournament.
The defending champions, Spain, lost to Latvia and Canada in the second round and finished only in ninth place. This was the first time Spain missed the quarter-finals since 1994. Olympic champions United States, on the other hand, also failed to win a medal for the second consecutive tournament.
Host selection
On 7 June 2016, FIBA approved the bidding process for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Joint bids by member federations were also approved by the FIBA Central Board starting from the 2023 edition, and there is no restriction for a country from the confederation that hosted the previous edition to bid for the World Cup hosting rights.
On 1 June 2017, FIBA confirmed the list of candidates for the hosting of the World Cup.
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Solo bidders Russia and Turkey ended their bids, leaving joint bids of the Philippines–Japan–Indonesia, and Argentina–Uruguay left in the race, automatically marking the 2023 tournament as the first to be hosted by multiple nations.
Voting results
On 9 December 2017, it was announced that the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia won the bid and will host the upcoming World Cup, after Argentina and Uruguay withdrew their joint-bid on the same day, leaving FIBA to award the hosting rights via a unanimous vote.
Teams
Qualification
As co-hosts, the Philippines and Japan each got an automatic qualification for the tournament when they were awarded joint hosting rights along with co-host Indonesia. However, Indonesia's host qualification slot was conditional, as FIBA wanted the Indonesian national team to be competitive by 2021 and thus required Indonesia to qualify for and finish in the top-eight (advance to the quarter-finals) of the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup (postponed from 2021). Indonesia officially qualified for the Asia Cup as host and advanced from the preliminary round-robin round, but lost to China in the playoff round (round of 16) and were therefore unable to secure qualification for their hoped-for FIBA Basketball World Cup debut. This is the first time in the history of the FIBA Basketball World Cup that a host nation has not qualified.
80 teams from four FIBA zones qualified for the World Cup qualifiers through qualification for the FIBA Continental Cups (AfroBasket 2021, 2022 FIBA AmeriCup, 2022 FIBA Asia Cup, and EuroBasket 2022). For Europe and the Americas, additional teams qualified through the pre-qualifiers of the said regions. The participants of both the AfroBasket and the Asia Cup comprised the teams that also took part in the qualifiers for their respective regions. The first game of the qualifiers took place in Minsk on 25 November 2021 between Belarus and Turkey, as part of the European Qualifiers. The draw for the World Cup qualifiers was held at the Patrick Baumann House of Basketball in Mies, Switzerland, on 31 August 2021.
The first round of the Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Africa qualifiers featured 16 teams each, whereas Europe had 32 teams. Division A teams were split into groups of four, to be held in a home-and-away round-robin. The top three teams in each group advanced to the second round. In round two of the World Cup qualifiers, teams were split into six groups, totaling four groups in Europe and two in the other qualifiers. Teams carried over the points from round one, and faced the other three teams again in a home-and-away round-robin. The best teams in each group qualified for the World Cup. No wild card selection was held, and the Olympic champions (United States) were not guaranteed a spot in the tournament.
The complete field of 32 teams that participated in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 was determined on 27 February 2023 at the conclusion of the sixth window of qualifiers.
Qualified teams
On 28 August 2022, Finland and the Ivory Coast became the first teams to qualify from Europe and Africa, respectively. The following day, New Zealand became the first Asian team outside of hosts Japan and the Philippines to qualify for the tournament. Finland made their second World Cup appearance after their debut at the 2014 edition in Spain. On 10 November 2022, Canada became the first team from the Americas to qualify.
Alongside Finland, Slovenia, Egypt, and Mexico returned to the World Cup since the 2014 edition after notably missing the 2019 tournament in China.
Lebanon returned to the World Cup after participating in the 2010 edition, while Latvia, South Sudan, and Georgia all made their FIBA Basketball World Cup debut. Cape Verde also qualified for their first World Cup, becoming the smallest nation in tournament history to qualify.
Brazil and the United States also secured qualification for the tournament, continuing their streaks of participating in all World Cups since its inception in 1950.
Days before the second window of the Asian Qualifiers, South Korea withdrew from the tournament due to one of its players, scheduled to join the team in its second window campaign, testing positive for COVID-19. The Korea Basketball Association made an appeal to FIBA to justify its non-appearance in the qualifiers but was rejected. As a result, South Korea failed to qualify for the World Cup after qualifying for two straight tournaments (2014 and 2019). Algeria withdrew from the tournament for similar reasons. Russia, who also participated in the 2019 World Cup, were banned from FIBA tournaments, including the World Cup and its qualifiers due to the country's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Belarus was also banned from FIBA tournaments and the past results of the games they played in the European Qualifiers were annulled. Mali were disqualified during qualifying by forfeiting two games.
After winning the silver medal at the 2019 World Cup in China and nine consecutive appearances dating back to 1986 in Spain, reigning FIBA AmeriCup champions Argentina failed to qualify for the tournament after their defeat to the Dominican Republic in the final window of qualification. Notable countries in Africa also failed to make the World Cup, including two-time reigning AfroBasket champions Tunisia, which made the last three World Cups prior to 2023 (2010, 2014, and 2019), Senegal, which qualified for the 2014 and 2019 editions, and Nigeria, who was the lone African nation to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The qualified teams, listed by region, with numbers in parentheses indicating final positions in the FIBA Men's World Ranking before the tournament were:
Africa (5)
(41)
(64) (debut)
(55)
(42)
(62) (debut)
Americas (7)
(13)
(15)
(23)
(31)
(20)
United States (2)
(17)
Asia and Oceania (8)
(3)
(27)
(22)
(36) (co-hosts)
(33)
(43)
(26)
(40) (co-hosts)
Europe (12)
(24)
(5)
(32) (debut)
(11)
(9)
(10)
(29) (debut)
(8)
(18)
(6)
(7)
(1)
Draw
The draw took place on 29 April 2023 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Philippines, at 19:30 PHT.
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Global Ambassador Luis Scola (Argentina) and 2011 NBA champion Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) led the draw ceremony, along with Local Ambassadors from the three host nations: 2014 Philippine World Cup team member LA Tenorio and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray (Philippines), former national team member and current president of Levanga Hokkaido Takehiko Orimo (Japan), and actor Raffi Ahmad (Indonesia). American rapper and singer Saweetie and Filipino artists Billy Crawford and Sarah Geronimo performed during the draw.
For the draw, the 32 teams were allocated into eight pots based on the February 2023 FIBA World Rankings. The Philippines were allocated to Pot 1 as the hosts of the final stage of the tournament, alongside the three best-qualified teams: Spain, the United States, and Australia. The remaining 28 teams were allocated Pots 2 to 8 based on the February 2023 FIBA World Ranking, with co-host Japan placed in Pot 7.
Furthermore, the three host countries were given the privilege to select a team each to host in the group stage. The United States were selected to play in the Philippines, Slovenia in Japan, and Canada in Indonesia. FIBA cites "commercial reasons" for the selection which it says would not affect the draw process.
The draw consisted of two clusters of pots. Teams in Pots 1, 3, 5, and 7 were drawn into Groups A, C, E, and G, while teams in Pots 2, 4, 6, and 8 were placed into Groups B, D, F, and H.
Teams from confederations of Africa, Americas, Asia and Oceania would not be allowed to be drawn against other members of their confederation in the group stage. Additionally, each group contains at least one team from Europe, but no more than two. As such, it's known that Montenegro and Mexico were drawn to the same group, so were Spain and Brazil since Greece, Germany, and Italy from Pot 3 could not be drawn with Spain.
Seeding
The seeding was confirmed on 21 April 2023.
Groups A, C, E, and G
Groups B, D, F, and H
Squads
Each team has a final roster of 12 players; a team can opt to have one naturalized player as per FIBA eligibility rules from its roster.
Venues
The tournament was hosted in five venues in five separate cities. Three cities in the Greater Manila Area hosted four preliminary round groups, two second round groups, and the final tournament phase from the quarter-finals onwards. Okinawa and Jakarta each hosted two preliminary round groups and one second round group. The Philippines hosted 16 teams while Japan and Indonesia hosted eight teams each.
In the Philippines, three venues were used for the World Cup: The Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, and the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, all of which hosted various 2019 and 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers games of the Philippines. The Mall of Asia Arena hosted the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, and the 5v5 basketball events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The Araneta Coliseum hosted the 1978 FIBA World Championship, while the Philippine Arena has a 55,000 seating capacity and was initially poised to host the tournament's final phase and the World Cup final. The arena also hosted the 2018 FIBA 3x3 World Cup and the opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
During FIBA's Central Board meeting on 28 April 2023, FIBA announced that the Mall of Asia Arena replaced the Philippine Arena as hosts of the final phase and the final, citing long distances, logistical and transport reasons. Ensuring the arena's usage in the tournament and aligning with the initial bid, the Philippine Arena hosted the first two World Cup games of Group A.
One venue in both Japan and Indonesia each hosted World Cup matches. The Okinawa Arena in Okinawa has a 10,000 seating capacity and is the new home arena of the Ryukyu Golden Kings of the Japanese B.League. The arena also hosted exhibition games involving the Japanese men's basketball team in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and various 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers games of Japan. Initially, the Istora Gelora Bung Karno in Jakarta was to be the venue to be used for the tournament. However, FIBA Central Board member Erick Thohir was quoted that the venue was only approved for the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup (postponed to 2022), which was also hosted by the city, but not for the World Cup. During the draw for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers on 31 August 2021, it was revealed that a new venue located at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex would be used for the tournament. Known as Indonesia Arena, it has a seating capacity of 16,500 spectators.
A contingency plan exists to move games from Okinawa City to Metro Manila in the case of weather disturbances such as a typhoon.
Indoor arenas
Training venues and hotels
In the Philippines, the designated training venues for participating teams are the Rizal Memorial Coliseum and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila, the PhilSports Arena and the Meralco Gym in Pasig. The Conrad Manila in Pasay and Edsa Shangri-La, Manila in Mandaluyong hosted the participating teams.
Preparations
Turnover ceremony
During the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China, the three host countries for the 2023 World Cup sent representatives to observe the tournament. The delegations also observed the FIBA Congress and the opening ceremonies.
A turnover ceremony was held at halftime of the final between Argentina and Spain at the Wukesong Arena in Beijing, to officially hand over the hosting rights of the FIBA Basketball World Cup from China to the three co-hosting countries. FIBA Central Board members Manuel V. Pangilinan from the Philippines, Yuko Mitsuya from Japan, and Erick Thohir from Indonesia, received the FIBA Flag from Chinese Basketball Association chairman Yao Ming. Other dignitaries present at the turnover ceremony were then-FIBA President Horacio Muratore and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Global Ambassador Kobe Bryant.
FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Board
During FIBA Executive Committee's meeting on 31 January 2020, International Olympic Committee and FIBA Executive Committee member Richard Carrión was appointed as the Chairman of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Board. FIBA Oceania Executive Director David Crocker will also be the tournament's Executive Director. The first meeting of the board took place on the final week of May 2020.
Governmental support
In February 2020, then-Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali revealed plans for a new arena to be built in Jakarta for the tournament, with a capacity of between 15,000 and 20,000. Indonesian President Joko Widodo granted a permit for its construction, with the Indonesian government funding the construction of the new arena for the country's hosting of the World Cup. This would be the Indonesia Arena, located within the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex. Widodo led the topping-off ceremony of the Indonesia Arena on 13 January 2023, with opening expected to be in June 2023, a few months before the start of the tournament. President Widodo and acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono officially inaugurated the Indonesia Arena on 7 August 2023. A budget of IDR 135 billion was granted by the Indonesian government, through the country's Ministry of Youth and Sports, to the Indonesian Basketball Association and the local organizing committee for the country's hosting of the tournament.
On 25 August 2020, three years before the start of the tournament, Okinawa City officials conducted a symposium on the construction of an acceptable system for the World Cup. The local organizing committee for the city's hosting was also formed during the same event. In attendance were Okinawa City Mayor Sachio Kuwae, Okinawa Chamber of Commerce President Toshiyuki Miyazato, and Ryukyu Golden Kings President Tatsuro Kimura.
Philippine President Bongbong Marcos signed an administrative order on 27 March 2023, creating an inter-agency task force to prepare for the country's hosting of the World Cup, involving several government agencies. The task force is to be led by Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richard Bachmann. The PSC approved the release of at least for the Philippines' hosting. Classes in public schools and government work in Metro Manila and Bulacan were suspended for the tournament's opening ceremony on 25 August 2023.
Test events
The Okinawa Arena hosted a "pre-opening event" from April to May 2021, which consisted of home games of the Ryukyu Golden Kings. Full operations of the arena began in June 2021.
On 28 June 2023, a test event organized by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas featuring eight collegiate teams from the Philippine NCAA and UAAP was held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena and Araneta Coliseum as a simulation for the Philippines' hosting of the World Cup.
A test event at the Indonesia Arena, the Indonesia International Basketball Invitation, took place from 2–5 August, that involved the national teams of Indonesia, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates.
Volunteers program
A Volunteers Program for the Philippines was also launched by the country's Local Organizing Committee on 30 November 2022, opening applications for aspiring applicants to serve as volunteers during the World Cup. The Japanese and Indonesian equivalents were launched on 27 February and 11 March 2023, respectively.
Preparation games
Acropolis International Basketball Tournament
The national teams of Serbia, Greece, and Italy participated in the tournament from 8 to 10 August in Athens.
Basketball SuperCup
On 12 and 13 August 2023, Canada, China, Germany, and New Zealand participated in the 34th edition of the tournament in Hamburg.
China tournaments
From 2–6 August, the Heyuan WUS International Basketball Tournament was held in Heyuan in Guangdong province and involved the national teams of Iran, the Philippines and Senegal. Shenzhen hosted the FIBA Solidarity Cup from 20 to 21 August featuring Brazil, China, Italy, New Zealand, and Serbia.
France Summer Tour
On 26 February 2023, the Fédération Française de Basketball announced that France played in various participation games from July to August in the build-up to the World Cup – against the national teams of Tunisia, Argentina, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Venezuela.
Japan games
Japan played two games against Taiwan from 8–9 July in Hamamatsu and two games against New Zealand on 2 and 4 August in Ōta City. A four-nation warm-up tournament featuring Angola, France, Japan, and Slovenia also took place in Tokyo from 15 to 19 August.
Boomers vs World
Basketball Australia announced on 19 May 2023 that from 14 to 17 August, a four-nation tournament featuring Australia, Brazil, South Sudan and Venezuela, took place in Melbourne.
Spain tournaments
In celebration of the Spanish Basketball Federation's centennial anniversary, two tournaments were hosted in the Spanish cities of Málaga and Granada. Spain played in both tournaments. The first tournament in Málaga from 11 to 13 August featured the United States and Slovenia, while the second tournament in Granada from 17 to 19 August featured the Dominican Republic and Canada.
Tbilisi City Hall Cup
Georgia, Iran, Jordan, and Montenegro took part in the tournament from 12 to 13 August in Tbilisi.
Trentino Cup
On 7 June 2023, the Italian Basketball Federation announced that warm-up games featuring Cape Verde, China, Italy, and Turkey were played from 4 to 5 August in Trento. It also served as warm-up games for Turkey in preparation for the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments, which they would be hosting one of two European tournaments.
USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi
At a press conference in Berlin on 8 March 2023, USA Basketball announced a partnership with the Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism, in which the United States faced the national teams of Germany and Greece from 18 to 20 August in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Other games
Exhibition games took place as warm-ups for the World Cup.
Slovenia and Greece played in two games on 2 and 4 August in Ljubljana and Athens, respectively. Spain and Venezuela also played a friendly game on 4 August in Madrid. Germany and Canada played in Berlin on 9 August.
Several teams also have set up training camps in various countries, including co-hosts Philippines, which held a training camp in Estonia and Lithuania in June 2023, where they played games against Finland, Estonia and Ukraine's junior teams, and a Lithuanian pro selection.
Format
Similar to the 2019 edition, the tournament will be played in three phases – the group stage, the second round, and the final phase. In the group stage, the 32 qualified teams will be sorted into eight groups of four (A–H), where every team in a group will play each other once. The top two teams from each group will then advance to the second round. The bottom two teams will then play two classification games to determine the 17th to 32nd rankings. In the second round, there will be four groups (I–L) of four made up of the teams that advanced from the first round, with these groups formed by joining pairs of first round groups together (A & B to I, C & D to J, E & F to K, and G & H to L). Each team plays two games in the second round, one against each of the teams they have not yet played. The top two teams from groups I to L will qualify for the final phase, with all five group stage games counting towards their records. The teams that lost in the quarterfinals will then play classification games to determine the 5th to 8th rankings.
Officiating
On 16 August 2023, FIBA announced the list of 44 referees for the tournament. Of the 44 referees, FIBA included three each from Latvia, Puerto Rico, and the United States.
Female referees will officiate games for the first time in the tournament's history. American referees Amy Bonner, Blanca Burns and Jenna Reneau became the first female referees to be appointed to a men's World Cup. Bonner previously officiated in the last three editions of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in 2014, 2018, and 2022, respectively. Burns and Reneau recently officiated several games in the Americas Qualifiers for the tournament. Burns eventually became the first ever female referee to officiate a World Cup game when she worked the Finland vs. Australia game in Group E on 25 August in Okinawa.
French referee Yohan Rosso, who was one of the three officials in the 2019 final was also selected.
Referees
Opening ceremonies
The main opening ceremony took place in the Philippines on Friday, 25 August 2023 at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, in between the first two games of Group A (Angola vs. Italy; and Dominican Republic vs. Philippines). It featured performances from artist Sarah Geronimo with rapper Bernard Bernardo, and Filipino bands The Dawn and Ben&Ben, and boy group Alamat. The 1978 FIBA World Championship Philippine team accepted an invitation to attend. Philippine President Bongbong Marcos was originally scheduled to make the ceremonial ball toss in Bocaue, but was unable to after arriving late in the venue for an undisclosed reason.
Another ceremony took place in one of the two co-hosts. It was held on the same day at a later time at the Indonesia Arena in Jakarta, before the Group H game between Canada and France and featured a performance from Indonesian singer and actress Agnez Mo. Indonesian President Joko Widodo was to attend live but was not able to. Instead, he delivered a short speech and opened the tournament in Indonesia via a pre-recorded video.
Both ceremonies and another at the Okinawa Arena in Japan featured performances highlighting the cultures of the host countries. The ceremony in Okinawa took place before the start of the Group E game between Germany and co-hosts Japan. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida conducted the ceremonial ball toss.
First round
Classification of teams
Highest number of points earned, with each game result having a corresponding point:
Win: 2 points
Loss: 1 point
Loss by default: 1 point, with a final score of 2–0 for the opponents of the defaulting team if the latter team is not trailing or if the score is tied, or the score at the time of stoppage if they are trailing.
Loss by forfeit: 0 points, with a final score of 20–0 for the opponents of the forfeiting team.
Head-to-head record via points system above
Point difference in games among tied teams
Points for in games among tied teams
Point difference in all group games
Points for in all group games
Group A
Venue:
Group B
Venue: Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Group C
Venue: Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
Group D
Venue: Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
Group E
Venue: Okinawa Arena, Okinawa City
Group F
Venue: Okinawa Arena, Okinawa City
Group G
Venue: Indonesia Arena, Jakarta
Group H
Venue: Indonesia Arena, Jakarta
Second round
The results of the three preliminary round matches are carried over to the second round.
Group I
Venue: Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Group J
Venue: Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
Group K
Venue: Okinawa Arena, Okinawa City
Group L
Venue: Indonesia Arena, Jakarta
17th–32nd classification round
The results of the three preliminary round matches are carried over to the 17th–32nd classification round.
Group M
Venue: Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Group N
Venue: Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
Group O
Venue: Okinawa Arena, Okinawa City
Group P
Venue: Indonesia Arena, Jakarta
Final round
Venue: Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
Quarter-finals
Classification semi-finals
Semi-finals
Seventh place game
Fifth place game
Third place game
Final
Final standings
Awards
The all-star teams, MVP and other awards were announced on 10 September 2023.
All-Tournament Team
Statistical leaders
Player tournament average
Team tournament averages
Player game highs
Team game highs
Marketing
Logos
The official logo for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 was unveiled on 4 December 2020. The logo's concept consist of three main elements. The heart symbolizes the passion for the game, the Naismith Trophy represents the prize given to the winner of the World Cup, and the "23" represents the year of the World Cup. The logo for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup has already been agreed upon as early as July 2019 and only needed to be approved by FIBA as of that time. On 28 November 2020, FIBA launched the Don't Miss A Beat campaign leading up to the logo launch. As part of the campaign, VMLY&R created three music beats for the logo launch, inspired from the local music of the hosting countries.
There are also host city logos for Manila, Jakarta, and Okinawa. The Manila logo features a Jeepney, the most popular mean of transportation in the Philippines. Logos for Jakarta and Okinawa feature several landmarks – the Shuri Castle in Shuri, Okinawa and the Monas, the national monument of Indonesia, located in Jakarta.
Slogan
On 31 August 2021, during the qualifiers draw, FIBA released the slogan for the World Cup, "Win For All".
Mascot
On 9 June 2022, FIBA unveiled the official mascot for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. According to its fictional biography, the mascot, initially unnamed, was created through the idea of three fans from the three host countries (Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia), to create "something amazing that could unite people and represent them all." The mascot is a basketball robot with an LED face which allows it to connect and interact with people through its various expressions. In addition, the mascot also has a basketball hoop attached to its back as an advocacy for the importance of recycling. The red, blue, and yellow colors of the mascot represent the three colors of the national flags of the host nations. An online naming competition was held, and on 28 July 2022, it was announced the mascot's name is "JIP," which is the first letter of each of the three host countries – the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
Ball
The official ball used for the World Cup was unveiled on 29 April 2023 during the Draw Festival at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Similar to 2019, the Molten BG5000 was used for the tournament but with a design inspired by wave and gold elements and hearts. Nicknamed "The Passion Wave", it represents a heartbeat birthed out of passion for basketball that reverberates throughout the world. Another version of the ball, intended to be used in the final was also unveiled. This version had the tournament logo, the Naismith Trophy image in gold, the date of the final, and a unique serial number.
Trophy tour
Several months before the start of the tournament, the Naismith Trophy began a journey through the 30 participating countries and the 3 host countries. The trophy tour was launched at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines during the week of the World Cup draw. Prior to the launch, the trophy made rounds across several media outlets before visiting the Fort Bonifacio Tenement in Taguig a day after the draw. The following day, on 1 May 2023, it made its first international stop in Beijing, China, with the tour set to conclude on 24 August 2023, a day before the start of the tournament.
Ambassadors
Former Argentina national team player and two-time FIBA Basketball World Cup silver medalist Luis Scola was named a Global Ambassador for the tournament on 14 December 2022.
Two-time NBA champion and 2006 World Cup winner Pau Gasol joined Scola as one of the tournament's Global Ambassadors on 6 February 2023. Gasol served as an Ambassador for the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Australia months prior. Ten-time NBA All-Star and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Carmelo Anthony was also named a Global Ambassador on 24 February 2023.
In August 2022, Indonesian actor Raffi Ahmad and Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray were announced as local ambassadors for the tournament in Indonesia and the Philippines, respectively. Former Philippine national team members LA Tenorio, Jeff Chan, Larry Fonacier, and Gary David were also named local ambassadors. The Japanese B.League was named a local ambassador for the tournament in Japan on 22 September 2022. Former Japanese national team player and current Levanga Hokkaido president Takehiko Orimo was announced as a local ambassador in the weeks leading up to the World Cup draw. German-Indonesian actress Cinta Laura was also named a local ambassador for Indonesia on 11 July 2023.
Ticketing
Pricing for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup game tickets were determined by the local organizing committees and was reviewed by FIBA.
Ticket packages or 'passes' covering multiple games were made available as early as March 2022. Single tickets were made available for purchase in July 2023.
In Okinawa specifically, the target ticket sales of ($6.8 million) set by the Japanese local organizing committee has been met.
On the last day of the tournament, FIBA concluded that attendance was lower than expected citing high ticket pricing, especially the middle tiers.
Countdown clocks
Three countdown clocks were unveiled from 25 to 28 August 2022 to mark one year before the tournament. These clocks are situated at the Tenbusu Naha Plaza in Naha, Okinawa; the Selamat Datang Monument in Jakarta; and the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay. The countdown clock in Indonesia was later moved to the front of Sarinah Department Store after the unveiling ceremony.
Sponsorship
Broadcasting rights
Issues
Traffic in Manila
It was anticipated that heavy traffic in Metro Manila would impact the conduct of games in the Philippines. As part of the preparations, the Philippine local organizing committee has conducted simulations on transporting players from their hotels to the playing venues. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has also traffic scheme for the duration of the tournament.
The Philippine Arena would be stripped off of its role as the final round venue due to "serious traffic and transport concerns". In addition the accessibility of the venue in Bulacan adjacent to Metro Manila, has been a longtime issue. Unlike the two other venues in Greater Manila, the Philippine Arena is not accessible by public transport.
Attendance in Okinawa
Blocks of seat were left vacant for the opening game of the Japanese national team against Germany at the 8,500-seater Okinawa Arena. Players from Japan made a complaint which prompted intervention by FIBA. FIBA resold unused corporate tickets for Okinawa games to the general public for subsequent games which boosted attendance, including games not involving Japan.
New Zealand game court storming
The New Zealand vs United States game at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay on 26 August 2023 had a court storming incident. Prior to the start of the game, a ticket-paying fan wearing full New Zealand jersey stormed the court. He was stopped after the New Zealand bench informed the organizers that the fan is not part of their squad.
Serbian player kidney operation
Serbian player Boriša Simanić was rendered injured after he was elbowed by Nuni Omot of South Sudan with two minutes left in the game. Simanić underwent a surgery at the Makati Medical Center. However, due to complications, he had to undergo a second operation to remove one of his kidneys. He also had to receive a blood transfusion.
Filipino senators' shirt statement
Senators Joel Villanueva, Migz Zubiri, Bato dela Rosa, and Bong Go attended live the Philippines' final classification match against China with shirts with the "West PH Sea" and the Philippine flag as a show of support to the Philippine claim in the South China Sea disputes. Online critics described the stunt as "perfomative". Senator Francis Tolentino defended his colleagues insisting that there is nothing wrong to "express personal political beliefs" even in a FIBA game.
See also
2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup
Notes
References
External links
2023
World Cup
World Cup, 2023
World Cup, 2023
World Cup, 2023
2023 in Indonesian sport
2023 in Japanese sport
2023 in Philippine sport
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