With the 2023 FIBA World Cup just four months away, preparations in Manila are in full swing for the anticipated arrival of 15 national teams -- and hordes of their fans who will be tagging along.
With all due respect to the Southeast Asian Games, this is the most prestigious sporting event the Philippines will be hosting since, well, since the 1978 Basketball World Cup.
While the SEA Games featured thousands of athletes and officials from 11 nations, none of them were among the best basketball players on the planet.
At this point, it's still not certain which teams will fly to Manila; that will be known on April 29 during the World Cup draw, which is an event unto itself. Preparations for that are also well underway.
"We're in the thick of it now," deputy event director Erika Dy told ESPN. "We have the draw coming up, and that's really sort of what serves as the tip-off event for the World Cup.
"That's when we're going to find out which teams are playing where since we have four group phase venues. One in Okinawa, one in Jakarta, and two here in Manila, which is where the games will be played (at Mall of Asia Arena and Smart Araneta Coliseum).
"So it's a big day for the World Cup. And as soon as we find out where the teams will be assigned, we then get to sell individual game tickets. So as far as the local organizing committee (LOC) is concerned, this is sort of the biggest event preceding the World Cup itself."
Aside from MOA Arena and Araneta Coliseum, the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena will be used for the quarterfinals, semifinals and medal games. To help simulate what will happen at these venues, the home games of Gilas Pilipinas during the Asian Qualifiers were rotated among them.
The game held at the Araneta Coliseum generally proceeded without a hitch, but it was held in a bubble and only a limited number of spectators was allowed. Despite the absence of a crowd, Dy said the LOC was able to work with the venue staff, which is also crucial.
The situation was different, though, for Gilas' game against Saudi Arabia at the MOA Arena last August. With Jordan Clarkson's presence igniting the highly-charged atmosphere that will likely be repeated during the World Cup, this game provided many lessons for the LOC.
"The crowd behavior in that area, in the MOA complex, that was a big help to see," Dy said. "What time do spectators arrive? How many hours before the game? So that we can know what time is good to open the gates. Do they stay after the game? So how many minutes? So that kind of fan behavior, we were able to take notes."
The last window, which featured two Gilas games at Philippine Arena, also had its share of challenges. Given its isolated location in Bocaue and the sheer size of crowds attending events, it sometimes took spectators hours just to leave the parking lot.
"We had a lot of learnings (at the Philippine Arena)," Dy revealed. "There's a lot of adjustments that will have to be made for the World Cup, especially with regard to the logistics of the inflow and outflow of spectators."
Dy said they estimate that international fans will comprise 30%. That number may increase, though, depending on which teams get assigned to Manila.
"It all depends on which teams will be playing here. Finland, for example," Dy added. "We've been selling 'Follow My Team' passes. And they are the number one apart from Gilas in terms of sales.
"Past World Cups will tell you that Finland is a country of fans who really travel to follow their team. So we get Finland, automatically that's, say, 5,000 tourists for our country."
Dy says such a massive operation will require "anywhere between 500 to 600 (personnel) per venue. That includes FIBA, the LOC, the volunteers, all the third-party agencies who are going to provide us with their services."
The LOC is also drawing from the past experience of their counterparts from the 2019 SEA Games hosting, which wasn't exactly a smooth operation.
"I did read about many mishaps during that hosting," Dy said. "There are people who were involved in that who are also part of the LOC. They have shared their experiences, especially in terms of the servicing of the volunteers.
"They are allies even if they're not part of the organic group. We want to make sure they're treated just like any other worker in the LOC, and that they're given the right food, the right working conditions. That's what we're revisiting based on their experiences from the SEA Games, because I think that was a big issue back then."
The goal is to execute a hassle-free experience for everyone involved -- the fans, the media, and of course, the players -- as Dy stressed: "Transportation, all the shuttling, especially from the airport to the hotels until they check in.
"That's another thing that we really want to focus on and keep our eyes on. You don't want their first impression to be negative right away."
Dy said that the star players will be at the top when it comes to priority: "The way we look at things and the way we make decisions on the ground, we have to always keep in mind in order of priority who the VIPs really are of this event. And the VVIP really are the players.
"They're the most important party or stakeholder. No players, no World Cup. You don't want the likes of Luka Doncic texting or tweeting about a bad experience during the World Cup here in the Philippines. So everything we do, we try to keep the players' experience in mind. We're actually forming a separate committee just for the players' experience.
"And then, second would be the VIPs, which would be the FIBA executives and federation executives. Mostly still part of that FIBA family, but not in the actual team, more on the management side. And then you have, of course, your general public. Maybe third on the list, but still very high in terms of the service that we want to show and provide for them."
Team accommodations and practice facilities have already been sorted out.
Official team hotels have been chosen for the playing venues, with Conrad Hotel designated for teams that will be playing at the Mall of Asia Arena and the knockout stages. The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bonifacio Global City will be for those playing at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Teams can practice at either Ninoy Aquino Stadium or PhilSports Arena, while tune-up games -- if requested -- will be held at those two venues or at the FilOil Arena. Dy says they have already received inquiries from teams that plan to come in early and set up training camp.
"We've had requests already and inquiries on where they can stay if they come early and where they can practice and train, but nothing solid yet," she revealed. "A lot of teams have also been asking about friendlies. So we may be setting up friendlies with at least the Gilas team a week before the tournament."
Dy says it's easy to get overwhelmed by the magnitude of this event. Whenever doubts start filling their minds, the people behind this hosting go back to a guiding principle that was instilled in them from day one.
"We always question every day, 'Why are we even doing this?' It's a lot of pesos to spend from MVP's (SBP Chairman Emeritus Manuel V. Pangilinan) pocket and also from the government since they're subsidizing part of this," she revealed.
"But, at the end of the day, we all know that the Philippines is a basketball-loving country. And MVP's reason really for taking this hosting, for launching that bid back in 2017, was really he wanted to bring basketball closer to the Filipinos, the global game.
"(Some of us), we probably could fly to the US to watch an NBA game and see those superstars. But for the majority of the Filipinos, that's never going to happen. This is their best chance of getting up close and personal to those basketball players that inspired them."