THE Philippines has until Feb. 5 to determine which Filipino athletes have a good chance of earning an invitational place in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Philippine Olympic Committee vice president Joey Romasanta said this after he informed various national sports associations that more qualifications are available for the quadrennial meet.
“We want to have more athletes included. But they have to meet the minimum qualifying standard,” said Romasanta.
Romasanta said that during an Olympic Council of Asia meeting last November, he was informed that invitations will be given to qualified athletes, who have not made the cut through world rankings and qualifying competitions.
He has asked the NSAs for a list of athletes who can be given invitational places.
There will be a total of 110 places in 16 individual sports, which will be available for allocation to all eligible National Olympic Committees.
Under the rules, the number of invitation places to be allocated to an eligible NOC, if any, remains at the full discretion of a Tripartite the Commission, which will screen the applicants.
So far, the Philippines is looking forward to qualify at least one boxer to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
A Filipino boxer can become among an additional 190 men and 36 women, who will be confirmed for Rio 2016 over the coming months and in the coming Olympic Qualifiers to be held in Argentina, Cameroon and China in March.
Roger Ladon, a fighter in the 46-49 kg weight class in the men’s division, is among those who are expected to have a big chance.
Ladon is fourth in the Olympic rankings with 1050 points in his weight category, according to a list released by the International Boxing Association on its official website.
He will be joined by Mark Anthony Barriga, who has 350 points, and is ranked no. 24 behind Ladon
World Archery-Philippines, formerly known as Philippine Archers National Network Alliance, is optimistic that Philippine archers can grab a Rio Olympic berth in the last qualifier in the the June 12 to 19 World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.