Manila, August 30 (Xinhua) -- On the 25th, 38,115 spectators poured into the Philippine Stadium north of Manila to watch the opening match of the 2023 Basketball World Cup. FIBA confirmed that the highest attendance in the history of the Basketball World Cup has been refreshed in the world's largest indoor stadium.
In a country that considers basketball the number one sport, nearly 40,000 enthusiastic Filipino fans have created a "terrifying" home atmosphere — and any team that meets the host country is tested wave after wave.
The Dominican team was the first to undergo the "stress test". However, unexpectedly, the cheers from behind the Dominican bench broke through to the deafening "Go Gilas" in the audience.
This feat was achieved by five Leedz brothers, their families, friends, and ten Dominicans. As it happened, they stayed in the same hotel as the reporter.
This fan group, most of whom are over half a hundred years old and often wore a smile, has a "fierce record" that does not match their temperament at all - in the stands they often "win more with less".
In the Basketball World Cup Americas Qualifiers in Mar del Plata, the Argentineans who filled the stadium found that their voice could not cover a few away fans, and the Dominican fan group became famous in South America.
The Ritz family told reporters that they have accompanied the Dominican men's basketball team to many courts. "The Philippines is our third time at the World Cup, the first time was in Spain in 2014, and then in 2019 we went to China, to Shenzhen, Nanjing, Beijing and other cities."
"We are not rich, a lot of people still need work, but in order to watch the game, we will finish the work in advance and plan the time." Juan Riz said, "For example, in this basketball World Cup, the Dominican team confirmed its place in the World Cup on February 27, and we booked tickets and hotels on March 1. ”
These Dominican fans enjoy this "sports trip". In 2017, FIBA revised its format to allocate six windows to qualify for the World Cup, which spanned two years. "Compared to the traditional one venue, the new format will not only allow the national team to gain exposure in the home country, but also allow the competition to be held in more countries and more cities, attracting more people to fall in love with the sport." The Ritz brothers said.
Before this year's World Cup, they went to New York, then Japan, and finally landed in the Philippines, with a total flight time of more than 22 hours.
The basketball origin of the Ritz family begins with the destination Philippines. In 1978, the Philippines hosted the eighth World Basketball Championship, and the young Ritz brothers listened to the Dominican team on the radio, and it has been out of control ever since.
The knockout round 45 years ago was held at the Araneta Stadium, and Dominica, who were grouped together with the United States, Australia and Czechoslovakia, finished 12th out of 14 teams and did not have a chance to touch the floor of the largest dome in Asia at the time.
In this World Cup, the renovated Araneta Stadium is the venue for the Dominican men's basketball team. The Dominican team's approach to the Philippines ahead of the match was eye-catching enough that stars Carl Downs and Victor Leeds walked into the dressing room with the whole team dancing.
Dominican player Carl-Anthony Towns (left) makes a layup during a game on August 25. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Yongmin
"It's romance unique to Latin American countries, especially the Dominican Republic, where dance is part of our 'blood'. We also dance in the stands. As he spoke, Dominican fans were already shaking to the hotel's background music.
In Dominica, a country of more than 11 million people, basketball is the second largest sport after baseball. "But the number of people playing basketball is still the largest, and people will play on the street, and sometimes they will start with a basket in the tree."
What attracted them to watch the game was not only the freedom and happiness that basketball brought to the Caribbean country, but also the super "resilience" of this Dominican team.
In the Americas, which has strong teams such as the United States, Canada and Brazil, the competition for World Cup places is extremely fierce. The Dominican men's basketball team defeated South American powerhouse Argentina in the final round of the life-and-death battle to steal a ticket to the World Cup.
In the Philippines, the Dominican team, who are in Group A of the group stage, have not won every game. In the opener against the hosts, the two teams drew at halftime, and with the blessing of cheers, the Philippines "Jedi counterattacked" in the final quarter, but in the end, the Dominican team withstood the pressure, and the shot of Downs "enjoying" the boos when he took the free throw became one of the highlights of this tournament.
Playing Italy and Angola, Dominica trailed at the end of the third quarter, but the team was able to burst into super energy in the most exhausting fourth quarter.
Part of that energy came from the high decibels in the stands, with player Andrés Felis saying in a post-match interview with Italy: "It's incredible. Although we are far from home, they make us proud and make us no longer feel lonely. ”
Dominican player Andrés Felice (second from right) celebrates after winning a match on August 27. On the same day, the Dominican team won 87-82 against Italy. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Meng Yongmin
"We love the sport and we love our team. Our goal is to stay healthy and continue to cheer for the Dominican team. The Dominican fan group told reporters that thankfully, the next generation has joined them, "We have a nephew who is also here, but he may be sleeping somewhere now." ”
"We are already planning our trip to Qatar."