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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Oyson: RP hoops Olympic pipe dream
By Manuel N. Oyson, Jr.
Counter Punch
It was not just wishful thinking on our part when we suggested, in a preceding column, the disbandment of the national basketball training team or pool, however way you call it. It has no more reason for its continued existence. It has been shut out practically from participation in all international basketball games for which it was organized for, in the first place. A return to the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 is already ruled out.
A story by Nelson Beltran in Philippine Star Sports last Oct. 6 said that the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) has already named the countries that will be Asia’s representatives in the Beijing Olympics. China, Lebanon and Qatar finished 1-2-3 in the Fiba-Asia caging last Sept in Doha, Qatar, to qualify for the quadrennial games.
The Philippines did not compete in Qatar after Fiba suspended it for scrapping the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) in July from its list of national sports associations.
SAITAMA. A win in Doha – even a second place finish -- would have advanced the Philippines to the World Basketball Championships (WBC) next July in Saitama, Japan. Our own officials had initially exuded confidence that the Philippines had a chance to make it to Doha, and from there, to Saitama and all the way to the Olympics. That was the reason for all the flurry and excitement generated by the formation of the national team.
The national squad actually tried to prove its worth by participating in the Global Hoops Summit in Las Vegas and in the William Jones Cup in Taipei. The squad captured the five-team Shell Brunei Cup where it defeated a fellow PBA team, Alaska Milk. Then the door was finally slammed at it in the Fiba-Asia meet in Doha, after BAP was kicked out of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), to the consternation of Fiba. RP’s return to Olympic basketball has become a pipe dream.
SALVAGE. Or so it seems. Even the last-ditch attempt of the POC to salvage the country’s defense of its title in the Southeast Asian Games (Seag) in November has been rebuffed by Fiba. Peping Cojuangco, Robert Aventajado, and Ding Tanjuatco, all POC bigwigs, as well as a member of the Philippine mission to the United Nations, undertook a futile mission to Switzerland to personally argue RP’s entry to the Seag basketball.
They came back empty-handed.
Even if the country is reinstated in time to defend its crown in the Seag, it will not advance to the Olympics. The Seag is not considered a qualifying event. But Filipinos do not easily give up. POC chair Aventajado was quoted saying that the Philippines may still be allowed to the Saitama world caging next year, but as a wildcard entry. It means that RP may still be allowed to compete and make it as champion or runner-up.
This may seem a far-fetched solution, but not impossible. How so? The host organizers in Saitama may opt to select a national team as a wildcard entry. The Philippines being named as one, is a remote possibility.
WILDCARD. Is this the wild card bugaboo that Aventajado is trumpeting? We do not know of any hard and fast rule being applied to select a wildcard entry in the WBC.
Another way is that as the Olympic host, China may no longer feel the need to compete and qualify in Saitama and another country may take its place.
By the result of the Fiba-Doha qualifying, Lebanon, being No. 2, would move up to No. 1 slot. And Qatar climbs to No. 2.
Fiba may select another team in place of Qatar. But not necessarily the Philippines, regardless of Fiba officials’ emphasis that they love to see the Filipino cagers’ regaining their place on the international stage as quoted by Beltran. His story, however, quoted the same officials as ruling out the possibility of a wildcard berth being given to the Philippines in Saitama.
(sports@sunstar.com.ph)
(October 11, 2005 issue)
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