Possible PH vs. China duel may lead to Olympic berth

A TICKET to France for the 2024 Paris Olympics will be up for grabs for Asian teams competing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, and a possible meeting between China and the Philippines could be a crucial game.

The Philippines is in Group A with Italy, Dominican Republic, and Angola, while China is in Group B with South Sudan, Serbia, and Puerto Rico. Both groups will then merge for the second group stage (top two) or for the classification phase (bottom two).

In 2019, no Asian squad made it to the second group stage, so any Asian squad that picks up two wins in the first group stage will be a heavy favorite.

Jordan is in an unbelievably difficult group with the USA, New Zealand, and Greece, and Japan will need all the help it can get against Germany, Finland, and Australia.

Iran is grouped with Spain, Brazil, and Cote d’Ivoire, and Lebanon will be heavy underdogs against Canada, Latvia, and France.

Asian teams only scored wins against other Asian or African squads in the last FIBA Basketball World Cup so the Philippines, China, and Iran got a bit of luck from the draw.

If the Philippines and China perform similarly in the first group stage, then a meeting will be inevitable.

Back in 2019, Iran finished with the same 2-3 win-loss record as China, but Iran qualified for the Olympics due to a better point difference. It was a frustrating finish for the Chinese side as the team had high hopes, being the host of the tournament.

Now China is out for revenge led by Serbian head coach Sasha Dordevic and 2016 NBA draftees Wang Zhelin and Zhou Qi. However, Gilas Pilipinas, already hard at work at home following its European training camp, will maximize home-court advantage as the host team targets to win as many games as possible in front of the Filipino fans.

Both Gilas Pilipinas and China will play all their group stage games, including their possible matchup, at the SmartAraneta Coliseum. Tickets are available via ticketnet.com.ph.

Tickets for all SM Mall of Asia Arena contests are available via smtickets.com

Podium feats for Hallasgo, Salano in 30th Pattaya race

SOUTHEAST Asian Games veterans Christine Hallasgo and Richard Salano braved the rainy weather to come up with good podium finishes in the 21-km action last Sunday in the 30th Amazing Thailand Pattaya Marathon 2023.

The 30-year-old Hallasgo, who earned a bronze medal in the recent Cambodian meet, stayed behind Ethiopian Gebeyehu Adbaru from start to finish to settle for a silver medal.

Their times were close as Adbaru conquered the rolling and sloping terrain in one hour, 21 minutes and seven seconds.

Hallasgo was 17 seconds behind Adbaru for second place, followed by Ornanong Wongsorn of Thailand, in third at 1:26.09.

Lodkeo Inthakoumann landed fourth in 1:26.08, followed by Filipinas Nhea

Ann Barcena and Cherry Andino in fourth and fifth, respectively.

“Malakas lang ang ulan, kaya basa kami habang tumatakbo. Nakikipagagawan sa position iyung Ethiopian,” said Hallasgo, who came with a group of 39 runners supported by 7-Eleven and Jose C. Ang Jr., the managing director for eWallet and eCommerce and Head of General Merchandise Division.

Salano (1:12.04) made it to third place in the face of a strong challenge of Kenyan John Moriuri, who took the men’s division title in 1:09:40, followed by Thailand’s Sanchai Namkhet in 1:09:51.

“Malakas ang start nu’ng karera. Medyo uphill nu’ng first 5-kilometers. Pero, nakasabay ako dahil magandang warmup,” said Salano.

Overall route of the race covered the area of Pattaya City From North Pattaya Road, Pattaya Beach Road, Pattaya 2nd Road, Thappraya Road, Jomtien 2nd Road, Sukhumvit Road and Jomtien Beach Road. Peter Atencio

NATIONAL TAEKWONDO MEET. Some 2,000 taekwondo jins, including collegiate stars, competed in the 46th National Taekwondo Championships on July 22 and 23 at the Music Hall of SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City. Events played were Advance and Novice that featured four divisions each, namely seniors, juniors, cadet and grade school – both male and female. In order to eliminate human error, the PTA utilized the KPNP technology as Protector and Scoring System, apart from the implementation of the IVR (Instant Video Replay) system. Danny Pata