Publication date: 06:41, January 21, 2024 Update date: 06:42, January 21, 2024
This article was written by: External author
In August 2023, the FIBA Basketball World Cup was held at Okinawa Arena. This tournament, in which teams from 32 countries around the world participated, was held simultaneously at five venues in three countries: Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and top-level basketball players from all over the world aimed to become the best in the world. The Japanese national team won three games, including a big win against Finland, which was a huge success, and they were able to qualify for the Olympics on their own for the first time in 48 years since the 1976 Montreal Games, creating great excitement.
The World Cup was also an important event from an economic perspective, with an expected economic impact of 6.3 billion yen for the entire prefecture. In addition, due to the World Cup effect, basketball has become even more popular as new fans who were not previously interested in basketball have been acquired.
The average number of visitors per game for the Ryukyu Golden Kings, a B1 basketball league, is over 7,000, which shows the high popularity of basketball. Furthermore, in the movie “THE FIRST SLAM DUNK,” the Okinawa roots of Ryota Miyagi, the main character, were revealed, further increasing interest in basketball among prefectural residents.
In May, the Ryukyu Golden Kings became the B League’s first annual champion, and while the excitement was still waning, the World Cup was held in August. Okinawa Arena has a reputation for having an atmosphere similar to the authentic American professional league NBA. Okinawa’s potential as a tourist destination related to basketball is still immeasurable. I look forward to the economic ripple effect of the Okinawa basketball world and look forward to watching the games again this year.
person who wrote the article
Morihiro Toma Branch Manager, Okinawa Bank Headquarters Branch
2024-01-20 21:48:03
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