MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will go to the Youth Olympic Games without its boxers.
Philippine Olympic Committee first vice president Joey Romasanta said Youth Olympic boxing aspirants failed to hurdle their respective qualifying tests, making them ineligible to compete in the YOG set in Nanjing, China, from Aug. 14 to 28.
Without the boxers, perennially considered as solid medal candidates, the Philippines will be left with just a dozen qualifiers at the most.
“I really don’t know what happened; they had to go all the way to Bulgaria,” said Romasanta in Tuesday’s Philippines Sportswriters Association (PSA) forum at Shakey’s Malate.
Light flyweight Dannel Maamo, fly Hipolito Banal, bantam Presco Carcosia and welter Sammy Bernabe Jr. failed to secure YOG slots in the Aiba World Youth meet in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Only eight Filipinos have qualified for the Games for athletes aged 14 to 18.
Assured of slots were triathlete Vicky Deldio, artistic gymnast Ava Loren Verdeflor, archers Luis Gabriel Moreno and Bianca Cristina Gotuaco and 3-on-3 basketball’s Amando San Juan II, Manuel Mosqueda III, John Paul Cauilan and Kobe Paras.