FIBA World Cup 2023 Officially Opens at Indonesia Arena, President Jokowi Cancels Attendance
Jakarta The world's prestigious basketball competition FIBA World Cup 2023 officially opened on Friday (25/8/2023) at 19.30 WIB.
The event which takes place at the Indonesia Arena, Gelora Bung Karno Complex (GBK), Jakarta, will last for 10 days, namely until 3 September 2023.
Unfortunately, President Joko Widodo, who was originally scheduled to open the 2023 Basketball World Cup, failed to attend the event. Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Budi Satrio Djiwandono explained, the change in plans occurred because Jokowi was not in Jakarta.
According to Budi's narrative prior to the opening ceremony, the number one figure in the country had just undergone a series of agendas in Africa and then departed for North Sumatra. As a result, he could not attend the FIBA World Cup 2023 opening ceremony in person.
Nevertheless, the opening ceremony continued lively thanks to the presence of a number of Indonesian musicians and artists. The opening ceremony of the 2023 Basketball World Cup started with dance performances and regional songs sung by GAC. The event was continued with a brief remark by President Jokowi via video.
Also present were Indonesian celebrities Cinta Laura Kiehl and Raffi Ahmad as local ambassadors to greet fans. Furthermore, there is a flag parade of the participating countries of Group G and H which are ready to heat up the competition for the preliminary round at the Indonesia Arena until September 3.
Indonesian musician Agnez Mo also presented a special performance at the opening ceremony. He sang two songs, namely Coke Bottle and Get Loose in front of the fans.
Starting from the match Latvia vs. Lebanon, followed by Canada vs. France
For your information, the FIBA World Cup 2023 has actually held the opening match before the opening ceremony. The duel between Latvia against Lebanon, Friday (25/8/2023) afternoon WIB marked the inaugural match of the Basketball World Cup at the Indonesia Arena.
Latvia, which is supported by hundreds of real fans, appeared spartan by crushing Lebanon in that match. Unmitigated, they even closed the match through a landslide advantage of 109-70.
As for after this, it's Canada and France's turn to try out the Indonesia Arena. The duel between the two countries became one of the most anticipated matches, with fans seen crowding the area while wearing French and Canadian attributes long before the match started.
FIBA World Cup 2023 Schedule at Indonesia Arena
August 25, 2023
16.15 WIB: Latvia vs. Lebanon
20.30 WIB: Canada vs France
August 26, 2023
16.15 WIB: Iran vs Brazil
20.30 WIB: Spain vs Ivory Coast
August 27, 2023
16.15 WIB: Lebanon vs Canada
20.30 WIB: France vs. Latvia
August 28, 2023
16.15 WIB Ivory Coast vs Iran
20.30 WIB Brazil vs Spain
August 29, 2023
16.45 WIB Lebanon vs France
20.30 WIB Canada vs. Latvia
August 30, 2023
16.45 WIB Ivory Coast vs Brazil
20.30 WIB Iran vs Spain