Only unused qualification slots for Phl

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Olympic Committee first vice president Manny Lopez yesterday ruled out the availability of wildcard tickets, now known as Tripartite Invitation Places (TIPs), for the country’s athletes aspiring to compete in the London Olympics on July 27-Aug. 12 but said the backdoor is still open in six sports if there are unused slots.

Lopez, designated the country’s Chef de Mission for the London Summer Games, said he will communicate with Olivier Niamkey, manager of the athletes sector at Olympic Solidarity Asia, if it is required to apply for possible unused slots by Jan. 16, the deadline for countries eligible for TIPs.  The Philippines was disqualified from taking TIPs under the new eligibility rule of countries averaging six or less athletes in the last two Olympics.  The Philippines sent 16 athletes in boxing (4), taekwondo (3), athletics (2), swimming (5), archery and shooting at the 2004 Athens Games and 15 in taekwondo (2), swimming (5), athletics (2), diving (2), archery, boxing, shooting and weightlifting at the 2008 Beijing Games.

“The new rule was conceptualized under the principle of universality,” explained Lopez.  “This means it is now impossible for the Philippines to be given TIPs or what we used to call wildcards before.  But we were advised that unused quota places are our only hope for additional entries.”

Lopez said unused quota places will be determined only after qualified athletes drop out.  “Only when there are vacancies can one come in,” he said.  “Unused quota places can only be availed of once qualified athletes for one reason or the other can’t participate.  For the TIPs, all hopes are already lost.  We can only pray for the unused quota places which, to my knowledge, will be determined only by April.  The IFs (International Federations) will determine who can qualify as substitutes.  Good relations with the IFs will come to play if and when there are unused slots.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) identified 16 of the London Games’ 26 sports for awarding of TIPs.  They are rowing, badminton, boxing, canoe-kayak, BMX cycling, gymnastics, weightlifting, judo, wrestling, modern pentathlon, taekwondo, tennis, table tennis, shooting, archery and triathlon.  Since the Olympics began awarding wildcard tickets in 1996, four Filipinos became beneficiaries – shooter George Earnshaw (1996), shooter Jasmin Luis (2000), archer Jasmine Figueroa (2004) and shooter Jethro Dionisio (2004).

Lopez said under the guidelines of the Tripartite Commission authorized to award TIPs, six sports were singled out for the reallocation or redistribution of unused qualification slots – boxing, taekwondo, cycling, fencing, sailing and wrestling.  Only through the six sports can the Philippines hope to add more athletes in the delegation for London via the backdoor. 

In boxing, Asia has a quota of 56 for men and eight for women.  In the lightweight men’s division, there are seven slots for Asia, including one TIP.  Five Asians have already qualified from the Olympic qualifying World Championships in Baku last year – Gani Zhailauov of Kazakhstan, Fazliddin Gaibnazarov of Uzbekistan, Han Soon Chul of Korea, Jai Bhagwan of India and Sailom Adi of Thailand.  That leaves only one slot open for an Asian entry from the Olympic qualifying Asian Championships in Astana, Kazakstan, on March 30-April 8.  Filipino bet Charly Suarez, a Southeast Asian Games gold medalist last year, will battle for that one ticket.  A TIP will be given by the Tripartite Commission for boxing in the men’s lightweight division but if Suarez fails to win the gold medal in Astana, he will qualify as a backdoor entry only to fill in an unused qualification slot.

Under the Tripartite Commission guidelines, places that can’t be allocated due to withdrawals or cancellations will be redistributed by the IFs.  The unused slots will be determined only after the qualifiers are decided and TIPs are allocated.  It is the last avenue for athletes to make it to London after failing to qualify by merit.

Sprinter David Nepomuceno was the only athlete to represent the country at the 1924 Olympics and four wore the national colors in the 1928 Games.  So far, only two Filipinos have qualified for London – lightflyweight boxer Mark Anthony Barriga and long jumper Maristella Torres.