Wild card berth for Saludar sought

MANILA, Philippines - Seeking to take advantage of every possible opportunity to send more bets to the 2012 Olympics, the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) has asked the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to endorse flyweight Rey Saludar for a wild card berth to London.

Only one boxer has so far qualified for the London Games in lightflyweight Mark Anthony Barriga and the ABAP hopes to add more fighters either through the Tripartite Commission that issues invitational slots or the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament in March in Kazakhstan.

“I’ve already written POC president Peping Cojuangco to request that the POC apply for that wild card berth in behalf of the ABAP,” said ABAP executive director Ed Picson.

The Tripartite Committee composed of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and International Boxing Association (AIBA) is expected to distribute eight wild card berths to London.

ABAP is pushing for Saludar, who beat Canada’s Tarijit Lally and Tajikistan’s Yusif Saffovidin before bowing to the US’ Raushee Warren in the Olympic-qualifying world championship recently. The American failed to reach the finals, in the process slamming the door on the Filipino ace.

“We’re applying for Rey Saludar at 52 kgs. He is an Asian Games gold medalist (last year) and we felt he did well in the world championships, where he beat two guys and just got unlucky in his third fight as the judges didn’t consider Saludar’s performance,” Picson said.

The ABAP exec said the deadline for the application for wild card will be on Jan. 16, 2012, a good two months before the March 30 – April 8, 2012 Asian qualifiers in Astana, Kazakhstan.

“The Asian qualifier will happen sometime March or April but the deadline for application of wild card is on Jan. 16 so it’s better that we try to apply early. If we get it (wild card), well and good; if not, then we go to qualifying,” Picson said.

Barriga, 18, beat Romania’s Stefan Caslarov and Ireland’s Patrick Barnes before yielding to Beijing Games champion Shiming in the Last-16 of the Worlds. But he still netted a ticket to London after Shiming reached the finals and won the gold medal.

The ABAP, meanwhile, looks ahead to the next qualifying tilt, where Saludar and other prospects like Joan Tipon and Charly Suarez look to follow Barriga to the 2012 Olympiad.

“The fight’s not over yet. There’s still a qualifying round, there’s still a wild card. We have time to prepare, train more intensely and hopefully, we can get better and we can have improved chances to get what we always aspire for in the Olympics,” Picson said.