Kiwi Bid For World Event
Tagged in: BBNZ News
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New Zealand faces a one-on-one battle with oil-rich Bahrain to host its first major international basketball tournament – the 2009 FIBA Men’s U19 World Championship.
FIBA sport director Lubo Kotleba has spent the past three days inspecting venues around the country to assess New Zealand’s ability to stage a 16-team event that will launch many of the sport’s most promising players into superstardom.
He, FIBA Oceania secretary general Steve Smith and Basketball New Zealand president Barbara Wheadon led a tour of stadiums and hotels in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
“It is very preferential from many points of view to have one city only hosting these championships,” says Kotelba, from the Slovak Republic. “More cities would mean more spectators, but it is more expensive to host in two cities than one.”
Two years ago, Basketball New Zealand joined Basketball Australia in a bid for the 2010 FIBA Men’s World Championships, but the bid was withdrawn when the economic ramifications became clear. The tournament was eventually awarded to Turkey.
Hosting this event would cost about $1.6 million, but Basketball New Zealand has no intention of running up a huge debt in the process.
“This is something we thought we could do and would be a catalyst for developing our players,” says Wheadon.
“We are working with local city councils in New Zealand and, at the end of the day, we have a very sponsorable product. This is the tournament that players like LeBron James came through, there will be a raft of NBA agents looking at these players and there will be TV coverage around the world.”
“I’m not saying it’s a given. We have to work very hard at funding this event, but I’m never one to be put off by a challenge.”
Staging the championships would offer an opportunity to showcase and develop basketball in New Zealand, including the next generation of Tall Blacks. As the host team, the Junior Tall Blacks would automatically qualify.
“When I see New Zealand basketball in general, you had an excellent group of players who finished fourth [at the world men’s championships] in Indianapolis in 2002,” says Kotleba. “But that team is slowly aging and it needs some more players in the future.
“If you have an opportunity to host the U19s here, it is also an opportunity to make some key players in your senior team in the future.”
Kotleba will now visit Bahrain and make his recommendations to the FIBA Central Board for a decision in April.
