GILAS PILIPINAS MAY NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS NEXT YEAR - MVP
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 04 Oct 2015
With the runner-up finish to eventual champion China in the recently concluded FIBA Asia championships, Gilas Pilipinas is allotted a spot at the Olympic Qualifying Tournament next year.
The Philippines failed the outright berth to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and is illegible to compete in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament on July 5-16, 2016. The tournament will include 18 national teams from FIBA?s continental tournaments. They will be divided into three groups of six. The winner from each group will qualify for Rio Olympics 2016.
But Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas President Manny V. Pangilinan thought that the Philippines may not participate in the said tournament because there is not much to gain from joining the very highly competitive Olympic Qualifier.
?My view is that, I?m not saying we will get chosen for the wild card, but frankly my view is that we should opt out of it,? Pangilinan was quoted by InterAksyon.com.
?And plan further ahead towards 2017 when the pre-qualification games are started to get played for the 2019 World Cup. We should prepare better for that.?
Included in the Olympic Qualifier are Asian runners-up Philippines, Iran and Japan; European squads France, Serbia, Greece, Italy and Czech Republic; Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico from the Americas; New Zealand from Oceania and three countries to be determined later.
With that roster of very powerful competing teams, the Philippines stood a very slim or no chance of qualifying for the Rio Olympics.
He wanted to focus instead in a long-term program for Gilas Pilipinas, like what the Chinese national team did when they built their champion team two years ago.
?Remember in 2013, the Chinese team was very different from the Chinese team today. They didn?t even make it to the quarters, if I recall correctly. The Chinese team we saw today was vastly improved from where it was only about two years ago. We should think the same way as they do. Prepare forward,? he said over InterAksyon.com.
During the FIBA Asia tournament in Manila in 2013, China lost to Chinese-Taipei and failed to qualify for the quarterfinals. They were then a team composed mostly of neophytes in international competetion. But recently, they defeated the defending champion Iran and went on the win the gild medal and the ticket to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
?That?s now the gold standard for Asian basketball. It?s no longer Iran. It?s now the Chinese, this Chinese team," MVP added.
But he is optimistic that the Philippines will again emerge as the top basketball team in Asia and promised continued support for the sport the Philippines love most.
?I don?t think we should lose hope. It?s a sport that Filipinos love so it?s a sport we?ll continue to support. We shouldn?t take this as a complete setback to the program. We should look at the positive aspects of the program and the things that need to be improved," said the country's number one sports benefactor.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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