Tickets Now on Sale for the World Basketball Cup, China's "Biggest Sports Event Since the Olympics"

China is poised to score a slam dunk this summer, as the Middle Kingdom plays host to the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Basketball Cup from Aug 31-Sep 15.

This is the first time that China will host the cup, and Beijing is among the eight Chinese cities hosting games, along with Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Wuhan, Foshan, and Dongguan. Tickets went on sale May 27, including a range of travel packages aimed at basketball fans coming to China from abroad.

While most basketball news focuses on the America-based NBA, FIBA, which was founded in 1932, is actually the official world governing body for basketball and brings together 213 different National Basketball Federations from all over the world. This year's tournament will be comprised of 92 matches and 32 teams, all vying for the prestigious Naismith Trophy, named after Canadian James Naismith who is credited with inventing the game in 1891 (yes, a Cannuck!).

During a recent interview with the Beijinger, Shuangfu Li, president of Lanxiong Sports predicts that the Cup will be China's "biggest sports event since the Beijing Summer Olympics and will put China on the center stage of the world just like 2008.”

Ratings data from various broadcasters and platforms indicate that basketball has some 500 million viewers in China, and according to Li, they're all pretty fired up because both the Chinese male and female basketball teams won gold at last year’s Asian Games, a moment which he describes as a "milestone" for current Chinese Basketball Association president (and former NBA star) Yao Ming. According to Li, these victories have ushered in a new “era that has brought more attention" to a sport already beloved by the Chinese. That sentiment echoed throughout much of the coverage of the Asian Games, including one article titled "Yao credited with China’s resurgence at Asian Games."

Mike Fox, anchor and former sports reporter at CGTN, had a more measured take on the event, calling it, "a good opportunity for China to boost tourism in other areas" outside of the big drawcards like Beijing and Shanghai. "It’s a chance to take advantage of boosting interest elsewhere. The Basketball World Cup isn’t the biggest event to host, not compared to the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, so it’s going to give the country an opportunity to learn and evaluate what works and what doesn’t when an event is being hosted all over the country."

Fox went on to compare FIBA to the Olympics, saying "Beijing has hosted the summer Games before, but it was based in one place. And we all know China has ambitions to host the Football World Cup one day, so the FIBA World Cup means China can experience having tournaments on a nationwide level."

Tickets for this year's World Basketball Cup are available here. To stream the tournament live, visit FIBA's official YouTube channel or click here. A full schedule for the matches can be found on FIBA's official website.

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Photo: FIBA Basketball World Cup, Essentially Sports