World Cup tickets moving fast

Tickets to the FIBA Basketball World Cup are starting to sell like hotcakes with barely a week before the opening on 25 August at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

World Cup deputy event director Erika Dy revealed that ticket sales have started to pick up following President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos' declaration of class and work suspension in public schools and government institutions.

Dy said the event's ticketing arm – TicketNet — informed them that the sales of the tickets to Gilas Pilipinas' game against the Dominican Republic in the opening salvo had skyrocketed shortly after Malacañang came up with the announcement of class and work suspension.

"I heard from TicketNet, I don't have the exact numbers yet, but when I checked around midday today when the statement from Malacanang came out, the sales today skyrocketed," Dy said in a television interview.

"We're hoping for the best.

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is looking to flex its muscles as it aims to fill up the 55,000-seater venue with basketball-crazy Filipinos.

SBP president Al Panlilio said their goal is to break the record of 32,616 spectators set by Toronto during the gold medal match between the United States and Russia in the FIBA World Championship in 1994.

In the special Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum last Tuesday, the SBP chief admitted that only around 28,000 tickets sold, just a little more than half of their actual target.

To make sure that spectators will come in droves, the federation will rent around 400 busses with pick-up points at the Cloverleaf Balintawak, One Ayala in Makati, Bonifacio Global City, Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, Araneta City, Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Market! Market! and SM North in Quezon City, SM Megamall, SM Baliwag in Bulacan and SM Clark and SM Pampanga.

Dy said having spectators take free rides to the Philippine Arena has already made travel time a lot faster and more convenient.

"That will pretty much cut down the traffic because we've already cut down the number of vehicles that will go to the Philippine Arena. Aside from that, we also have dedicated lanes for the buses and the official vehicles," Dy said.