Many years later, in the face of many famous "former" basketball superstars and FIBA officials who came to Malakannan Palace, Marcos Jr. will recall the distant afternoon when his father Marcos Sr. took him to see the 1978 Men's Basketball World Cup."
That long-awaited familiar feeling was back, at least for their Ma family
Hello everyone, I'm Afuhben, and we all know that the Philippines is a veritable "basketball country". As the most basketball-loving country in Asia, there is no one. Deep immersion in American culture, large population, restrictions on other large ball venues and other factors have become the reasons why Filipinos love basketball. From slums to high-end neighborhoods, from metropolises to remote mountains or islands, adding a basket is a basketball court, as is a neat plastic field. In the 60s and 70s of the last century, it was also the so-called "golden decade" of economic development, and the strength of the national team also led the way in Asia, and it once became the "number one bitter master" of the Chinese men's basketball team in Asia. The rise and fall of basketball in the Philippines can be said without exaggeration as a precursor to the "national fortune" of the Philippines. The boost to Philippine national confidence is definitely more than just one event.
Basketball World Cup, Little Marcos as a turning point in the operation of the country
However, "all destined gifts have long been secretly priced," the Philippines changed abruptly in the mid-to-late 80s with the Cold War pattern. The long-term unbalanced development path of the Philippines after independence, coupled with political dictatorship and long-term economic stagflation, the rich countries in Asia after World War II instantly became the prince of disaster. Political turmoil, lack of suitable industries, military intervention, massive population expansion, wealth and corruption, all combined to exhaust the dividends left to the Philippines from the American colonial era. Even the basketball dream of the Philippines has sunk with the national fortune...
In the 1978 Basketball World Cup, then President Lao Ma personally threw the ball for the event
The sinking of the economy is accompanied by the decline of the "spirit" of the people, the past scenery is no longer good, and the level of sports competition is also declining. The strength of basketball has also become a true portrayal of the national movement of the Philippines. Since 1978, the Philippines has rarely hosted major world events, for no other reason: poor infrastructure investment and lack of capacity to host large events. Hosting any large-scale international event is not only the venue, but also the surrounding transportation, hotels and other supporting facilities. So this also explains why more than 30 million Filipino voters will vote for the "son of the dictator" - Marcos Jr. in 2022. This is actually some affirmation of the economic development of the Ma family during the rule period under the Cold War pattern. Philippine's "peak of national life" all happened during his father's time. Chengye Ma family, defeat also Ma family. All whitewashed and pretended prosperity cannot escape fate.
2023 is the time for Little Mark to be in full swing. It seems that the entire world pattern and Philippine have returned to the familiar pattern of the Marcos family at the crossroads of the national movement. Another upcoming "Cold War"-level great power confrontation; It is also a key moment for the transformation of the Philippine industry and the undertaking of East Asian industries; It is also an era when the United States "Emperor Taishang" has refocused on the Asia-Pacific region, and the position of the Philippines is more important than ever, and military bases have been built on a large scale. Even a FIBA basketball World Cup replicates his father's recipe. More importantly, the current president is also called Marcos.
Back then, his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., kicked off the FIBA event in 1978, the first to be held in the Philippines, President Pony told reporters. "When my dad threw the ball for the first time, I was there and I was happy to be able to do it – I didn't realise it was the first time this had happened in the Philippines," he said. "And I'm happy that I'll also kick off the tournament – FIBA is coming back – and the Basketball World Cup is now coming back to the Philippines." So I'm honored to be able to repeat (hopefully not your dad's dictatorship), what my dad did in 1978," he added. Of course, he is happy, for the Philippines, the re-holding of the basketball World Cup is also an important turning point for the "national luck" to return to the bull market. In fact, for many countries, holding a world competition is indeed a great improvement in the spirit of the entire country. For example, in Seoul in 1988 and Beijing in 2008, the Philippines is not yet capable of hosting the Olympic Games, but how can FIBA's events not be a boost to national confidence for a country like the Philippines that loves basketball so much?
Nowitzki, Yao Ming and FIBA officials paid courtesy visits to the presidential palace
How can Filipinos not be familiar with the NBA? As a basketball star who became a hero 10 years ago. Perhaps Yao Ming will be in the top two of the Chinese names that the Philippines blurted out, and the other should be Jackie Chan. I actually like to watch football more, but Nowitzki of the Mavericks, Yao Ming, Maddie, and Scola of the Houston Rockets are not the youth memories of our generation of Chinese youth? But surprisingly, Philippine teenagers have also heard about their deeds, yesterday on the major local social platforms in the Philippines, Yao Ming and Novitsky all kinds of highlights have been brushed, Filipino people are even more crazy to brush the screen... It is enough to see that basketball culture is quite prevalent in this country. To be honest, Aben actually hasn't watched the NBA for many years, and I heard that the "Black Eight Miracle" was staged in the East a few days ago? However, the NBA in memory is still those old players, Zhan Huang is still in his twilight years "big killing", Kobe has gone west. This time, Yao Ming and Nowitzki visited as FIBA ambassadors and participated in the lottery. Seeing them, maybe you also see the traces of youth in your memory, those campus life, the shadows of what young man is persistently pursuing, right?
Paul Gasol and Yao Ming faced off at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and China almost beat Spain
On April 28, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. paid a courtesy visit to FIBA officials and ambassadors Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming, as well as members of the Philippine Basketball Association and the Philippine Olympic Committee, in the President's Hall of the Palazzo Malacannam. In his speech, Marcos said that he assured that on every day of the competition, there will be a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable audience in the country. "If there's one thing I can promise the Philippines and the world, it's that every day there will be a very enthusiastic, qualified, passionate audience," Marcos said. Marcos also congratulated SBP Honorary President Manuel V. Pangilinan on his efforts to bring the Basketball World Cup back to the Philippines, which will also be co-hosted by Japan and Indonesia. It is reported that the FIBA Central Committee invited the president to perform a ceremonial ball throw at the opening ceremony of the 2023 FIBA World Cup in August, and he agreed. He thanked the Board for its efforts and assured them of the Government's full support for all their efforts.
From 25 to 30 August 2023, the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia will host group stage matches simultaneously at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, Smart Araneta Stadium in CUBAO in Quezon City, and SM Mall Asia Arena. The final stage will be hosted by the Philippines and was originally scheduled to be held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan. However, FIBA approved the transfer of the World Cup finals venue from the Philippine Arena to the Mall of Asia Arena (MOA) in Pasay, citing possible traffic congestion in Bulacan.
Members of FIBA's Central Committee were in Manila for the World Cup draw at the Smart-Araneta Stadium on Saturday, April 29, and the announcement was made on Friday. In a statement, the basketball governing body said: "The main concern that led to this decision was the requirement that teams and fans be able to move to multiple games consistently and quickly within six days of the final phase." "Although the construction of the toll road connecting Metro Manila and the Philippine Arena was completed in 2021, it can only be tested under real-world conditions since COVID restrictions were lifted in November 2022," it added.
UPTOWN SHOPPING MALL IN BGC BGC IN METROPOLIS MANILA ERECTED AN OPEN-AIR PLATFORM WITH THE WORDS MABUHAY (WELCOME) FIBA IN MANILA
I have to say that FIBA is knowledgeable, the infrastructure of the Philippines is indeed a little worrying, if the player bus is stuck on the road and the start of the game is postponed, isn't it a joke? Let's choose to hold it in an area that is relatively close to the hotel. The area around PASAY MOA (SM Asia) can be said to be one of the cities with the best infrastructure and the widest roads in the Philippines, and it is not like BGC is very congested. Although the gray industry cloud hangs over PASAY, you can still be optimistic about the future here. All things considered, the infrastructure, hotels and transportation facilities here are the most suitable for hosting large-scale events.
Hosting the FIBA event, Aben believes that the Philippines is full of symbolic significance for "turning the tide of the national movement". Yao Ming and Novitsky are one of the youth memories of our past generation. Here's wishing the event a success. If you also like this kind of text with more warmth, thinking, and less resentment, welcome to follow me.
The 2022 FIBA World Cup Asian Zone Qualifiers held at the Mall of Asia Arena
History does not simply repeat itself, but it rhymes.
May God bless the Philippine Islands.