Gilas Women eyeing outright Olympic spot

The race for valuable ranking points is on as Gilas Pilipinas Women’s 3x3 squad seek to secure a direct spot in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Erika Dy said the national dribblers are always training their sights on ranking points every time they compete in major international tournaments.

Gilas Women are preparing for the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Warsaw, Poland from 1 to 7 June, looking for a victory that will give them a chance to secure one of the only two outright Olympic berths in Asia.

“I guess the big dream that we have is really to make it to the 2028 Olympics. The campaign for that starts this year,” Dy said during the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association forum yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

Joining Dy in the weekly session were 3x3 director Ryan Gregorio, Gilas Women coach Anton Altamirano, and cagers Afril Bernardino, Tantoy Ferrer, Mikka Cacho, Cheska Apag and Kacey dela Rosa.

“That’s what we’re chasing. We’re not going through the Olympic qualifier, which I think is a big possibility especially after winning a silver medal in the Asia Cup.”

A total of 12 spots, including the United States, per gender will be allotted for the Summer Games, with Africa, the Americas, and Europe having one slot each. The remaining six slots will be decided after four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments between March and June 2028.

After clinching the silver medal in the FIBA Asia Cup and securing a slot in the World Cup in early April, Dy said it is imperative that Gilas Women stay hungry as other Asian powerhouses will do whatever they can to grab one of the coveted Summer Games berths.

“We have to maintain that. It’s not going to be an easy road. China, Mongolia and Japan are going to be the ones we compete against,” said Dy, who added that they are looking at hiring a foreign mentor who will replace Patrick Aquino in the 5x5 event.

Altamirano, the son of former Gilas Youth coach Eric Altamirano, said training has never stopped for Gilas Women as they want to leave a lasting impression in the World Cup, where they are grouped with China, Latvia, Italy and 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist Germany in Pool C.