NEWS

IOC picks boxing qualifiers for Paris Olympics

September 9, 2022 7:51 p.m.

THE Hangzhou 19^th Asian Games that were postponed a year for September 2023 would be decisive for Filipino boxers hoping to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, according to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

“The IOC [International Olympic Committee] has designated five continental games as one of three qualifiers for Paris 2024,” Tolentino said on Friday. “After those continental championships, the IOC has also set two more world qualifiers in 2024.”

The IOC detailed its plans for the boxing for Paris 2024 in a memo sent to the International Boxing Association’s (IBA) Russian president Umar Kremlev and circulated to national Olympic committees on Thursday, the same day the organization executive board met at the Olympic House in Lausanne. IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper and Chief Ethics and Compliance Office Pâquerette Girard Zappelli signed the memo.
The 2023 continental championships besides the 19^th Asian Games, Tolentino said, are the Pan American Games (Santiago), European Games (Krakow), Pacific Games (Honiara) and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa.

The IOC didn’t specify in the memo how many boxers from the continental games would qualify for Paris 2024 as well as on the two world qualifiers in 2024.

“With three qualifiers, we have high hopes that we could send more boxers to Paris,” Tolentino said.

The Hangzhou Asian Games were originally scheduled this month but were moved to September 23 to October 8 next year because of Covid-19 scare in China. The Paris Olympics are set from July 26 to August 11, 2024.

Four of the 19 Filipino Olympians in Tokyo last year were boxers with Nesthy Petecio (women’s featherweight) and Carlo Paalam (men’s flyweight) clinching silver and Eumir Felix Marcial (men’s bantamweight) bagging bronze behind Hidilyn Diaz’s women’s weightlifting gold medal.

Boxing has contributed a total of four silvers and four bronzes out of the Philippines’ 1-5-8 gold-silver-bronze haul in 22 Summer Games appearances.

The IOC will supervise the qualifiers and competitions for Paris 2024, while stressing in the same memo that boxing remains out of the Los Angeles 2028 Games program pending the resolution of the leadership and credibility crisis at the IBA.

NEWS

Satisfy your cravings with these best-selling Nanyang drinks

September 15, 2023 3:30 p.m.

Nanyang isn’t only known for its Laksa Prawn, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Singapore’s best selling Hainanese Chicken Rice and Kopi.

It also has several best-selling drinks to whet your appetite and satisfy your sweet tooth, such as Iced Teh Melaka, Kopi Jelly Milk Tea, Milo Dinosaur and Kopi O.

Head over to your nearest Nanyang branches nationwide.

NEWS

USA back on top; Germany takes Top 3 spot in FIBA World Ranking

September 15, 2023 1:28 p.m.

MIES (Switzerland) – The recent completion of the prestigious FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 has produced some eye-catching positive climbs in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.

USA reclaim pole position with 786.6 points after benefiting from their consistency at major tournaments over the last three summers. Finishing in fourth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup where they outperformed former number one nation Spain, their run to the Semi-Finals came off the back of winning an Olympic title at Tokyo in 2021 and also taking bronze at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.

Recently crowned FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 champions Germany have another slice of history to enjoy as they step into the top three of the rankings for the very first time after moving up a massive eight places and onto 759.7 points. Their stunning success made all the more incredible because of the fact they made the journey to the top step of the podium without tasting defeat.

Canada also have another reason to celebrate too, with their maiden FIBA Basketball World Cup medal fueling an even bigger rise of nine spots. They now occupy sixth position with 745.5 points.

Serbia performed in outstanding fashion to make the title game and their second-placed finish gave their fans something to be proud of. Those supporters can also now enjoy and reflect on their country being a top five nation again as they move up a place and into fifth position on 755.6 points.

Meanwhile, when it comes to the scale and impact of climbing the rankings in the upper echelon, nobody can match Latvia. They have rocketed up a staggering 22 places and into the top 10 after their heroic underdog displays which ensured they took fifth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. They now sit in 8th position on 743.7 points.

There were many other teams who impressed at the flagship event, including Brazil who recorded three wins in five games and moves up a place into 12th in the rankings on 660.5 points. The Americas region can also boast a nice move upwards of five places into 16th for Puerto Rico on 611.1 points, while Dominican Republic rise six spots into 18th place on 561.9 points.

There were also notable improvements for Georgia who move up 10 positions and into 23rd on 465.9 points, Japan jump 11 spots to 26th on 432.2 points and Lebanon claim an uplift of 16 places into 28th on 423.3.

One nation that truly made everyone sit up and take notice at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 were first-timers South Sudan. They made history by beating China to claim a first win at the event, then pushing on to beat the Philippines and Angola. This has resulted in a sensational climb of 32 spots in the rankings. They now find themselves in 31st place with 375.5 points.

For more information about the method used in the calculation of the FIBA World Ranking Men, please refer to the “How It Works” section.

Click here to view the full FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.