Tennis ace Alcantara gains outright slot to Youth Olympiad

Filipino tennister Francis Casey Alcantara has been given outright entry to the First Youth Olympic Games slated middle of this year in Singapore.

The 17-year-old wonder from Cagayan de Oro City earned the automatic slot on the strength of his winning the boys’ doubles in the prestigious Australian Open last year when he teamed up with Taiwanese Hsieh Cheng-peng on the road to victory. Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) deputy secretary-general Mark Joseph also disclosed that the yet-to-be-formed national basketball team has also been given automatic berth in the biggest gathering of the world’s youth athletes aged 14-18. “Alcantara’s victory in the Australian Open and his subsequent high top 30 rating internationally earned for him the outright seat in the Youth Olympics," Joseph said during Friday’s SCOOP sa Kamayan forum in Manila. “As for basketball, it was the FIBA, the world’s governing body in the sport, that gave the Philippines outright seeding probably because of the country’s contribution to the growth of basketball worldwide," Joseph added. Another tennister, Jeson Patrombon, has a chance to be seeded although according to Joseph, he must first have to do well in several qualifying tournaments to finally make it. The POC, Joseph announced, will also be sending young Filipino athletes to participate in the qualifying tournaments in taekwondo, boxing, judo and equestrian as well as other events. Joseph, who appeared as guest in the forum along with some gold medalists in last year’s Laos Southeast Asian Games – judoka John Baylon and wrestlers Jimmy Angana, Margarito Angana and Jason Balabal - said that 580 slots are available in athletics, 480 in swimming, 70 in archery, 32 in equestrian and 80 in shooting. The Youth Olympiad, he said, follows the traditional 26-sport calendar although there’s a chance that several non-Olympic events which could help in the promotion of Olympic values and education to children might be added. - GMANews.TV