THE grind never stops for the domestic 3x3 basketball league with the new season of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 set to open in January.
Five conferences were held in the inaugural season, while also as hosting the first ever Asia Pacific Super Quest in April and the Manila Challenger in September.
League owner Ronald Mascarinas bared the development following the news of the Philippines earning a ticket to the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), slated in March in India.
"The journey is far from over as the goal is to not just make it to the OQT. The endgame is to make it to Tokyo," the Mascarinas said.
The performances of in the local leagues an international tournaments by pro teams led by top Filipino 3x3 players Joshua Munzon of Pasig and Alvin Pasaol of Balanga have also helped push the country to the 20th spot in the Fiba 3x3 men's rankings.
The Philippines is slotted in Pool C against tough foes in Slovenia, France, Qatar and Dominican Republic in the OQT.
Only three spots are up for grabs in the OQT, with the Philippines aiming to join hosts Japan, as well as Serbia, China, and Russia in the eight-team field for the first ever staging of the 3x3 competitions in the Olympics.
"We are going all out to prepare our national team for this and we hope that everyone joins us in this journey to Tokyo," said Mascarinas.
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