FIBA to choose between #PUSO2019 or China today for 2019 World Cup

The faces of the #PUSO2019 delegation in Tokyo for the FIBA World Cup hosting rights.

China or the Philippines. The final showdown of the two delegations in the quest to secure the hosting rights for the 2019 FIBA World Cup will take place this afternoon at the Prince Park Tower Hotel in Tokyo.

Both nations will have a 20-minute audiovisual presentation, which will then be followed by a closed-door, question-and-answer session. It is only then that the FIBA Central Board deliberates and then votes on which proposal meets their favorable response, which is expected to be revealed this evening. Although Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas head Manny V. Pangilinan is part of the Central Board, he has opted to not witness the deliberation and voting as a gesture of statesmanship.

The #PUSO2019 delegation's presentation will open with MVP's welcome remarks, with Sports5 head Chot Reyes and FIBA Players Commission member Jimmy Alapag having speaking segments. Closing out the presentation is actor Lou Diamond Phillips, in which a promise will be made that the 2019 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines "will change the sport forever." Phillips is a late addition to the delegation, as it would have been Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra who would be speaking had the presentation been conducted back in June at Geneva.

Slated to be in the Filipino panel for the Q&A session are Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto del Rosario, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez and Octagon Asia-Pacific President Sean Nicholls.

50 Filipino delegates have been accredited to attend the presentations, including Mahindra Enforcers head coach / Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao. Other government delegates include Manny's fellow congressmen Robbie Puno and Rey Umali, as well as Tourism Promotions Board CEO Domingo Enerio. The PBA contingent is led by Chairman Patrick Gregorio, President/CEO Chito Salud, Media Bureau Chief Willie Marcial, and Blackwater Elite Alternate Governor Wilbert Loa.

Before making the trip to Tokyo, Jimenez met with President Noynoy Aquino, alongside Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Budget and Management Secretary Butch Abad, and Secretary to the Cabinet Rene Almendras on Wednesday to explain the details of #PUSO2019's bid, as well as provide a four-year projection on how the Philippines will benefit from staging the FIBA World Cup.

MVP says that the bid has Noynoy's endorsement with a government guarantee, adding that "the presence of government officials [in Tokyo] is a clear message that the public and private sectors are united in supporting our bid." He adds that he is "prepared to accept FIBA's decision," if the rights go China's way.

Alapag likened the preparations for the presentation to that of a basketball game, and expressed excitement and honor on being a part of it. According to him, "this means so much to us Filipinos," and that "there's no country in the world that even comes close to how much we love basketball."