With a touch that exemplifies a person’s love for basketball, FIBA has launched Friday the official logo for the 2023 World Cup under the theme #DontMissABeat that the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia will stage.
In a press release issued by the basketball world governing body, FIBA explained the design of the logo with obvious markings of three key elements: a heart, the Naismith Trophy and the year 2023.
“The sideways heart symbolizes the passion for the game, while the Naismith Trophy is the dream for all participating teams in the World Cup,” said part of the FIBA statement.
“The "23" represents the year during which the spotlight will shine across three host countries: the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.”
“The three host countries all have a strong passion for basketball and this love of the game is embodied in the new FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 logo, which will bring together millions of fans, with millions of hearts beating as one.”
The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 promises to be an unforgettable event with the flagship competition, slated for August 25 to September 10, 2023, to be hosted in the three cities of Manila, Okinawa and Jakarta.
The group stage competition will take place in all three cities, while the knockout quarterfinal round will happen in the capital city of the Philippines, which staged the World Cup back in 1978.
"We Filipinos are all proud to be a part of this important milestone in basketball, together with Japan and Indonesia", said Manuel V. Pangilinan, Chairman Emeritus of the Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas who is also a member of the FIBA Central Board.
“The Philippines look forward to extending our brand of hospitality to the participating teams, to the world congress delegates, and to the many visitors expected to come – true to the essence of the logo we are launching today - a heart, the puso of the Filipino.”
“Our Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte expressed his support to make the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 an unqualified success and said, ' turn this event into a proud and dignified moment for our country.'"
As for Japan, basketball federation chief Yuko Mitsuya shares the same excitement in staging the event.
“We are very pleased to be part of the launch of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 official logo. For the first time in history, the tournament will be hosted by three countries.”
“We will continue to work together with FIBA, the Philippines, Indonesia and the city of Okinawa to create a moment where basketball fans from all around the world will feel their hearts beat together and share the excitement of the game of basketball."
Danny Kosasih, President of Indonesian Basketball Association said they too look forward to the 2023 World Cup.
“The official logo launch is the first exciting step of many for all three host nations, for FIBA and basketball fans worldwide. The logo certainly represents all three host nations' spirit of uniting and working together with the same heartbeat to deliver the best basketball experiences that fans could ever have.”
“On this special occasion, we would also like to ask basketball fans around the world to be part of this extraordinary event by taking part in the #DontMissABeat campaign. Join us and be part of this historic event."
FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis said this is already an achievement considering that three countries are hosting the event – a first in the history of the FIBA World Cup.
“This is a very exciting milestone,” he said.
“The distinctive FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 logo symbolizes our love for the game, which is shared by the organizing committees and FIBA, and it also represents the vision and passion of the event that brings together, for the first time, three host countries.”
The unveiling of the logo goes in step with the launch of the “Don't Miss a Beat” campaign by FIBA, an effort to keep the basketball community united and active over the next few months.