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Gilas Pilipinas has lost hope that it will advance to the next round of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup but there is a chance of bloodshed among members of the national squad.
This is because Gilas Philippines could still qualify for the 2010 Tokyo Olympics after host China lost to Poland in overtime at the FIBA World Cup.
With the changes taking place in the format of FIBA, which is the basketball governing body of the world, the World Cup is already considered one of the qualifying events for the Olympics.
Seven teams from the World Cup qualify for the Olympics and are the top two teams in Europe and Americans up to No. 1 team in Africa, Asia and Oceania.
China, meanwhile, holds a 1-1 record in Group A at the World Cup and if it loses its last match in the group stage against Venezuela, it will fall out of the classification stage.
Gilas Philippines is already well ahead of the classification stage after it suffered a major defeat in its Group D title match against Italy and Serbia.
If no teams from Asia can advance to the next round of the World Cup, then the classification stage will be the basis for selecting an Asian representative for the Olympics.
If Gilas Philippines wins its final match in the group stage of the World Cup against Angola this afternoon, there is a chance that China will surpass its position.
But Gilas Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao has said that they have not thought about the Olympics since they are focusing on their World Cup campaign.
“It's hard to imagine that. I don't want to speculate on the Olympic berth, but I think China will have an inside track on that already, ”Guiao said in an interview at www.abs-cbnnews.com.
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