Yao Ming: Philippines pushed China to its limits

Jane Bracher

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Yao Ming: Philippines pushed China to its limits
'They were great opponents,' Yao Ming says of the Philippines after China won the right to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup

MANILA, Philippines – Chinese ambassador Yao Ming did not hold back in admitting that the Philippines gave China a good fight in the bid to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

“We have to pay tribute to the Philippines delegation. They were great opponents,” the towering 7-foot-6 former NBA player said in a FIBA press release.

He added: “Only opponents like them could really push us to our limits to test how capable we are. Even if we were opponents on this occasion, we still have a friendship with them.”

China was declared the official host of the 2019 FIBA World Cup with a voting decision of 14-7 Friday, August 7 in Tokyo, Japan. The verdict broke the hearts of Filipino netizens. (READ:#SugatangPUSO2019: Netizens heartbroken)

Before the decision was announced, Yao Ming, who also played a role in China’s presentation, declared the Philipines had a “much better presentation than ours.”

In its presentation, China showed the FIBA Central Board its progressive nation and all the world-class infrastructure and facilities at FIBA’s disposal for the World Cup, while the Philippines tapped into emotion –  and the human element for their final pitch.

(READ: FIBA: Philippines tugs heartstrings, China boasts progress)

“It’s such an exciting moment to bring the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup to China and I’m sure that millions of fans are sharing this joy with us,” Yao Ming added. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!