The Philippine Fencing Association (PFA) is confident that its athletes will be part of the national delegation that will leave for the Paris Olympics this July.

PFA program development adviser Roland Canlas said the national fencers have enough international experience to pluck Olympic spots in the Asia Oceania Qualification in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates starting this weekend.

Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Sam Catantan and Nathaniel Perez will be competing in the women’s and men’s foil events, respectively, while Noelito Jose and Haniel Abella will vie in the men’s and women’s epee categories, respectively, in the prestigious event participated by 15 countries.

Only the champions of each event will be given outright berths to the Summer Games.

“These four really wanted to enter the Olympics. They really showed determination because they have been competing in World Cups and Grand Prix,” Canlas said.

“They all have 50-50 chances but we have to be prepared for everyone.”

The last time the country sent a fencer to the Olympics was Walter Torres in Barcelona in 1992. Torres, who eventually became a commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission, finished 53rd out of 59 fencers in the men’s foil event.

Recently, eight-time national champion Maxine Esteban qualified to the Summer Games after accumulating enough ranking points in various qualifying events. She, however, will compete under the banner of Ivory Coast after getting dropped by the PFA from the national squad last year.

But Canlas believes that the national fencers still have a good chance of joining the Olympic party, especially Catantan who had fully recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that she suffered from the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last year.

After all, Catantan has something to prove after missing the mark in the previous Asia Oceania Qualification in 2021, where she got a bronze medal in the women’s foil.

“Sam said she was slowly getting back. She even finished 10th in the US NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and most of the top 10 fencers there are Olympians,” Canlas said, referring to the Penn State standout.

So far, the country already has 11 Olympic entries led by Tokyo Summer Games competitors in EJ Obiena of athletics, Carlos Yulo of gymnastics, and Eumir Marcial and Nesthy Petecio of boxing.