THE door is still open for Gilas Pilipinas as well as other Asian teams to make it to the Tokyo Olympics via the Fiba Basketball World Cup.
Hours after Gilas Pilipinas lost to Angola in overtime, China bowed to Venezuela, 72-59, in Beijing to fail in its bid to advance into the second round as host country.
With the loss, China has been relegated to the classification phase following a 1-2 record in Group A, meaning the door is still open for all Asian teams, the Philippines included, to gain a spot in the Olympics through the World Cup.
Seven Olympic spots are up for grabs in the World Cup, with the best Asian team getting that berth for Tokyo. Japan has already secured a place being the host country.
Gilas was dealt with a crushing defeat after bowing to Angola in overtime, 84-81, to enter the classification phase winless in three games.
Like Gilas, Iran and Korea ended the group stage winless in their respective groups.
China will be joining fellow Asian country Korea, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast in Group M, while Gilas Pilipinas will be part of Group N along with Iran, Angola, and Tunisia.
Teams in Groups O and P in the classification phase will be determined on Thursday.
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