Fans can now vote online for Son of Dream, Speed Tiger or "Qiuqiu" to decide which of the three will serve as mascot for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, after each was unveiled as finalists at Tuesday's January 23 Mascot Shortlist Ceremony at the Wanda Han Show Theater in Wuhan.
Hundreds of mascot design proposals for the first-ever 32-team FIBA Basketball World Cup –– taking place in eight Chinese cities from August 31-September 15, 2019 –– were originally submitted, with the number eventually whittled down to just 10.
During the ceremony, the number of candidates was trimmed further to just three by a panel consisting of experts from FIBA, the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) and the Chinese Central Academy of Fine Art.
Fans can find out more about Son of Dream, Speed Tiger and “Qiuqiu” and have until February 8 to submit their votes on WorldCup.basketball and FIBA.qq.com/FIBAWC to decide which one will be the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 mascot.
"We are delighted to bring this grand ceremony to Wuhan City, one of the host cities of FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, and we were impressed by the great basketball fan base in this central Chinese city," said Predrag Bogosavljev, FIBA Sport and Competitions Director.
"We want to thank all the participants who have submitted hundreds of outstanding designs. We are confident that the fans will make the best choice to give the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 the best possible mascot."
Yao Ming, President of CBA, said, “ the mascot for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be the one that can show the spirit of basketball as well as China’s rich culture, and of course, should be popular in countries around the world.”
“The final decision for the mascot will be revealed around the middle of March in Beijing, according to the online votes and suggestions from the panel,” he added.
“In recent years, Wuhan has hosted the WTA Wuhan Tennis Open, FAI World Fly-in Expo, Wuhan Marathon, Wuhan International Horse Racing Festival, Wuhan International River Crossing Festival and many other high-level sporting events that enjoy huge popularity among citizens,” said Liu Yingzi, Deputy Mayor of Wuhan.
“As the only city in Central China to host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, we have honor and confidence. Over the past few years, we have successfully hosted the Asian Women’s Basketball Championships, Asian Men’s Basketball Championships and a series of top-class basketball games. Wuhan will again welcome all basketball players and guests and present our city’s culture to all our friends from around the world,” he added.
During the ceremony, 2,000 people witnessed a 20-minute stage spectacular presented by Wanda Han Show Theatre and directed by the world’s most prestigious entertainment mastermind, Franco Dragone, thanks to Wanda Themed Entertainment and Wuhan FIBA Basketball World Cup LOC.
The distinguished guests who witnessed this milestone event were: Yao Ming, President of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Ambassador; Liu Zhongchu, Deputy Secretary General of Hubei Provincial Government; Hu Gongmin, Director of Hubei Sports Administration; Liu Yingzi, Deputy Mayor of Wuhan Municipal Government; Duan Dongdong, Chief Executive Vice-President and General Manager of Wanda Themed Entertainment (Sales & Marketing Centre). They were joined by former players Hu Weidong and Zheng Wu.
Son of Dream [Photo provided to China Daily]
Speed Tiger [Photo provided to China Daily]
“Qiuqiu” [Photo provided to China Daily]
Yao Ming stresses the ceremony in Wuhan. [Photo provided to China Daily]
