Here’s how you can catch the Justin Brownlee-Dwight Ramos-led nationals as they fight for a historic Olympic berth.
The dream for Gilas Pilipinas to head to the Olympics is at stake in the make-or-break FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) with 24 teams vying for the final four slots in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. And this isn’t just their dream — it’s a dream for all Filipino hoops fans.
Luckily, Filipinos can easily tune into the games from anywhere.
You can watch Gilas Pilipinas’ FIBA OQT games live (and for free!) through the Smart LiveStream App as they face Latvia and Georgia at midnight and 8:30PM, respectively, on July 4. All you need to do is download the app and the live stream will be accessible — yes, even to subscribers of all networks.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the games.
Head coach Tim Cone, whose Gilas Pilipinas program sparked renewed success for our international basketball campaign, will spearhead the 12-man roster that includes naturalized Filipino and Asian Games hero Justin Brownlee, seven-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, and recent PBA Philippine Cup Finals MVP Chris Newsome.
Dwight Ramos, CJ Perez, Calvin Oftana, Kevin Quiambao, Carl Tamayo, Japeth Aguilar, Mason Amos, and Kai Sotto also join the Tim Cone-led squad. Meanwhile, Cone will miss the services of Jamie Malonzo, AJ Edu, and Scottie Thompson due to injuries.
Gilas Pilipinas (world rank No. 37) is part of Group A alongside Latvia (No. 6) and Georgia (No. 23) set to play in Riga, Latvia to finalize the FIBA OQT lineup.
You can catch Gilas Pilipinas take on Latvia at their homecourt at midnight of Thursday, July 34 and Georgia at 8:30 PM also on Thursday, July 4.
The top two teams from Group A (Latvia, Georgia, Philippines) will battle the top two teams from Group B (Brazil, Montenegro, and Cameroon) in a crossover semis format. This means that for Gilas to stand a chance, they only need to beat either Latvia or Georgia in the initial group phase to secure continuation in the crossover semis games.
A win again in the final four semis will land Gilas in a winner-take-all finale for the lone Paris 2024 ticket allocated for the Latvia OQT leg. Aside from the Latvia tournament, other FIBA OQT legs will take place from July 2 to 7 in Greece, Spain, and Puerto Rico. The top four emerging teams from each leg will qualify for the remaining Olympic slots.
If Gilas qualifies for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, they will join Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, USA, and host country France, along with the winning teams from FIBA OQT legs in Greece, Spain, and Puerto Rico for a total of 12 teams.
A chance at the Olympics doesn’t come around too often. Soak up all the action while you can!
Images courtesy of Smart.
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