PHILIPPINES
1978
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The times when politicians meddled in world basketball seemed to be web and
truly in the past and although in the next decade they would return to form with
the boycotts of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 and the 1984 Games in Los
Angeles the possibility was not considered during the Puerto Rico edition.
FIBA had a moral debt with Manila, capital of the Philippines after the scandal of 1962 when it
was awarded the tournament only to have it denied later and transferred to Brazil. The head of
FIBA had now changed; William Jones, who had strongly supported the sanction on the
Philippines due to their refusal to give visas to the communist countries, had been replaced by
Borislav Stankovic. This gave Jones' successor the opportunity to make amends for the
punishment.
The new leader had complete faith in the men in charge of Philippine basketball, so much so that
two years later the president of the federation, Gonzalo “Lito” Puyat would become FIBA general
secretary. Puyat had been trying hard to recover the organisation of the tournament which his
country had lost 16 years previously. He gave assurances that there was complete government
support and adequate infrastructure.
Although the government support was unlimited and unconditional the infrastructure was not so
good. The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, had imposed martial law throughout
the country in 1972 and was determined to portray the country in a good light to the outside
world. There was an abundance of luxury, all the delegations were housed in the most sumptuous
hotels in the capital and the population was ordered to pay the utmost attention to the
participants' needs. This luxury provided a stark contrast to the poverty of the city.
While the players and technical staff travelled in luxury cars supplied by Toyota, the sponsor of the
Philippine professional basketball league, the organisers could do nothing about two serious
problems: the sticky heat and the lack of air conditioning in one of the arenas.
The claim of adequate infrastructure was so fictitious that the organisers were obliged to withdraw
the tournament from three of the planned host venues and concentrate the competition in Manila
and the surrounding area. The entire event was to be shared between two stadiums: the Rizal
Memorial Coliseum and the Arenal Coliseum in Quezon, fifteen kilometres from the city centre.
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FUNDACIÓN PEDRO FERRÁNDIZ