By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippines will have a chance to increase its delegation to the Paris Olympics when a 10-player boxing team, spearheaded by Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio, competes in the World Qualification Tournament on Feb. 29 to March 12 in Busto Arsizio, Italy.
The tournament is the second to the last Olympic qualifiers for boxing, where it stakes at least four tickets in most weight classes to Paris.
That means boxers must reach at least reach the semifinals to make it to the Games – except in the women’s 57kg where it only offers two tickets, and in the women’s 60kg where it allocates three seats.
That’s bad news for Petecio as she will be fighting in the 57kg.
Petecio, who hopes to eclipse her silver medal finish in the 2020 Tokyo edition, needs to make it to the finals to earn an Olympic berth when she battles in the women’s 57kg.
Paalam also seeks a return trip to the Olympics in the men’s 57kg with an aim for the gold medal this time after also winning a silver in Tokyo.
Also campaigning for Olympic slots in the men’s division are Rogen Ladon (51kg), Mark Ashley Fajardo (63.5kg), Ronald Chavez Jr. (71kg) and John Nobel Marvin (92kg).
Completing the cast are female fighters Aira Villegas (50kg), Claudine Veloso (54kg), Riza Pasuit (60kg) and Hergie Bacyadan (75kg).
They are coming off a strong performance at the 2024 Boxam Elite Tournament in La Nucia, Spain early this month, where Petecio, Villegas, Bacyadan and Ladon won gold medals.
Meanwhile, the last qualifier will be on May 23 to June 3 in Bangkok, Thailand where it offers 23 slots for women and 28 for men.
So far, only Eumir Marcial is the lone boxer qualified to Paris after a silver medal finish in the men’s 80kg in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China last September.
Marcial, who is training abroad, is also making a return trip to the Olympics with hopes of improving his bronze-medal finish in Tokyo.
Accompanying them are coaches Donald Abnett, Ronald Chavez, Elmer Pamisa, Reynaldo Galido, Mitchel Martinez and Gerson Nietes Jr.
The team is actually in an intensive training camp in Spain and is scheduled to fly to Italy on Feb. 29.
