EVEN after Gilas failed to take the outright Asian Olympic berth staked in the 2023 Fiba World Cup, the road to Paris won't end there.
Gilas bid for Olympics over as brave comeback vs South Sudan falls short
By the end of the global showpiece, eight teams would have directly qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. These include Games host France, two best-ranked European and American teams, and the top placed sides from Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
Australia has clinched the lone spot for the Oceania region.
How Gilas can reach Paris
Winning both classification games against South Sudan and China was imperative for Gilas to surpass Japan in the race to the outright Asian Olympic spot, more so after the Akatsuki Five claimed a second win at the World Cup.
Lebanon and China have also won one game in the classification round.
But now that they missed out after the loss to South Sudan, the Philippines' next option is to clinch a spot through the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT).
And there are two paths available for Gilas to reach the OQT.

If Japan or either China or Lebanon takes the outright Olympic spot, the second best placed Asia/Oceania team will directly advance to the OQT. The emphasis is on Asia/Oceania which means New Zealand will be in the equation. The Tall Blacks currently hold a 1-3 win-loss record with a -36 point difference.
And should Gilas also let second place slip away, its last chance for a first Olympic appearance since finishing 13th in Munich in 1972 is to be among the 16 best-ranked teams regardless of continent after the second best sides from Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
However, this could be a long shot. In 2019, no team advanced to the OQT by finishing with a 1-4 win-loss record in the World Cup, and the Philippines only made it to the OQT because New Zealand pulled out.
It is also worth noting that five non-World Cup teams who topped the 2023 OQTs have already booked their tickets to Paris, including Bahamas, Bahrain, Cameroon, Croatia, and Poland.
Even if the Philippines does make it to the OQT, the odds of making it to Paris will be very difficult as they will now be up against teams from Europe, Americas, and Africa such as in the 2021 OQT where Gilas went up against Serbia and Dominican Republic.
But first things first, Gilas takes China on Saturday, 8 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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