AFTER keeping their Olympic dreams alive, the Gilas Pilipinas will compete in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) against hosts Latvia, Georgia, and countries Brazil, Cameroon, and Montenegro for the lone berth in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Gilas Pilipinas was ranked 38th in the world, allowing them to qualify for the OQT.
However, the team was placed in Group A of the Riga leg, alongside strong opponents Georgia (ranked 23rd) and Latvia (ranked 8th).
Meanwhile, Group B features a number of strong challengers, including 12th-ranked Brazil, 67th-ranked Cameroon, and 17th-ranked Montenegro, all vying for a spot in the semifinals.
Each group’s top two teams will proceed to the crossover semifinals. Following that, the top teams from each of the two groups will meet the second-place teams from the other group, with the semifinal winners competing for the lone Olympic spot in Riga.
Gilas Pilipinas qualified for the OQT thanks to their lone blowout win at the FIBA World Cup 2023 against arch nemesis China, 96-75, in front of the home fans, which improved the morale of the ailing Gilas Pilipinas team.
The Gilas, on the other hand, will face teams ranked higher than them. This means that the Philippine team would have to steel itself for more challenging opponents in order to clinch the lone slot in the Riga phase of the Olympics.
Lebanon, the other Asian country in OQT, will attempt to qualify for the Olympics in Paris. The Cedars are in Group A with Angola and the host country, Spain. Finland, Poland, and Bahrain are in Group B for the Valencia leg.
The Gilas FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) will be held from July 2 to 7 in Riga, Latvia.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has yet to choose a Gilas coach, owing to Tim Cone’s “one-and-done” contract in the recent 19th Asian Games gold medal win in Hangzhou, China.
