By Marcus Suner

Starting on July 26 next year until August 11, the 2024 Olympic Games will be hosted in the French capital, Paris, and it will be the “biggest event ever organized in France,” according to the official website of the Paris Olympic Games. 

In line with this development, the Philippines has been preparing a delegation to send to the Games. In the previous Olympic event held in Tokyo, Japan in 2020, the Philippine delegation numbered to 19 athletes.

As it stands, the country has a confirmed roster of four individuals, namely EJ Obiena, Carlos Yulo, Eumir Marcial, and Aleah Finnegan, with other teams and individuals still in the process of gaining a slot.

EJ Obiena

Noted as the first Filipino athlete to be confirmed for the 2024 Olympics, pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena would be one of many representing the country.

Obiena successfully qualified for the Summer Games through the 2023 Stockholm Diamond League Meet, held in the Swedish capital last July 2. 

He successfully cleared the 5.82-meter standard in the event, winning silver. This marked his second time to be part of the Olympics, with his first being the Tokyo Summer Games back in 2020.

In an interview with CNN, he hoped that the Philippines “send[s] [its] biggest delegate to this coming Olympics.”

Carlos Yulo

The second athlete to have a confirmed slot on the roster was gymnast Carlos Yulo.

Yulo secured a slot in the 2024 Summer Games through the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Antwerp, Belgium, concluded last October 8. 

Despite the initial setbacks in his performance, he expertly finished on the podium in the men’s floor exercise with 14.600 points, coming third after Israel’s Artem Dolgopyat and the United States’ Frederick Richard. 

As the former two had already qualified for the Olympics prior to the event, Yulo became the next highest-ranked eligible athlete in line and secured a slot for himself.

Eumir Marcial

Boxing athlete Eumir Marcial came as the country’s third representative in the Olympics.

Marcial finished with a slot and a silver medal to his name through the 19th Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China until October 8, 2023. 

He was also part of the Philippine contingent sent to Tokyo in 2020, winning a bronze medal in the process. The 2024 Summer Games will be his second time participating in the Olympics.

Aleah Finnegan

As of writing, gymnast Aleah Finnegan stood as the last of the representatives to confirm a ticket to Paris.

Finnegan secured her spot during the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships after finishing fifth overall among eligible athletes for the Summer Games.

Her participation in the Games marks the first time a female Filipino athlete has competed in the event for more than 50 years, following Josephine de la Vina’s final participation in the 1972 Munich Olympics, held in then-West Germany.

Qualifying rounds and tournaments are still to be conducted before the final roster of athletes and teams is finalized. Some individuals have also expressed interest in participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Manny Pacquiao

Despite his age of 44, the eight-division world champion and former senator had stated his intent to compete in Paris, saying: “I believe that age is not a barrier to fulfill our dreams.” 

As the maximum age limit for Olympic boxers is capped at 40 years, the Philippine Olympic Committee sent a formal letter of request and recommendation to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on behalf of Pacquiao to be given a slot under the universality rule.

This rule allows individuals or teams who do not meet the Olympics’ qualifications to still compete based on other factors.

The IOC stated that there would only be nine slots offered for boxing, all of which to be confirmed by next year.

Hidilyn Diaz

Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist and weightlifter, Hidilyn Diaz, could not score a podium during the 19th Asian Games, placing fourth in the Women’s 59 kg category.

However, she remained optimistic about her chances of getting a slot for the 2024 Summer Games through qualifying events later on.

“My opponents were all very strong, but I’m still happy [with the results], and yes, at the end of the day, Paris 2024 is still the most important,” she said to reporters.

Elreen Ann Ando

Weightlifter Elreen Ann Ando came home from the 19th Asian Games with a podium finish, coming in third for the Women’s 64 kg category. 

“This will help me a lot in my qualifying bid to Paris,” she said after winning the bronze medal.

Both Diaz and Ando are set to take part in the last two qualifying events for Paris 2024, the IWF Grand Prix II and the IWF World Cup. Only one can be chosen between the two weightlifters to represent the country.

Gilas Pilipinas

The basketball team is still fighting for a slot in Paris, as the Philippines finished 13th out of the teams unable to directly qualify for a place in the Olympics during the FIBA World Cup.

Gilas will represent the country in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) next year, where the Philippines would battle against 24 countries for four slots to the Olympics.

This marked the third time that Gilas has qualified for the OQT, with the first in 2016 being lost to both France and New Zealand, and the second in 2020 being lost to both Serbia and the Dominican Republic.

Thumbnail from CNN Philippines