WUHAN, China, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Organizers of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup unveiled three possible final mascots here in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Tuesday.
Organizers also announced that basketball fans would vote online for the winner.
The mascot finalists are a Chinese dragon ( 'Son of Dream' ), a Siberian tiger ( 'Speed Tiger' ) and a lion ( 'Qiu Qiu' ). People can find out more about them and vote on WorldCup.basketball or FIBA.qq.com/FIBAWC until February 8.
Members of the public submitted their designs as part of a global competition to design the mascot for the first ever 32-team FIBA Basketball World Cup, which will take place in eight Chinese cities from Aug. 31 until Sept. 15. The final three mascots were whittled down from hundreds of entries, according to the organizers.
"We want to thank all the participants who submitted hundreds of pieces of outstanding designs. We are confident that the fans will make the best choice [in order] to give the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 the best possible mascot," said Predrag Bogosavljev, FIBA Sport and Competitions Director, in a ceremony held at the Wanda Han Show Theater in Wuhan.
Yao Ming, President of the Chinese Basketball Association, said the mascot would be the one that represents the spirit of the sport, as well as the rich Chinese culture. He added that the final decision would be revealed in Beijing in March.
