With just six months to go until the 33rd edition of the modern Olympic Games, Team Philippines is focusing on expanding its presence in Paris 2024, with an eye on the upcoming World Championships in Qatar, which begin on 2 February 2024. 

The Asian country, which is made up of more than 7,000 islands, currently has seven confirmed athletes in four different sports for the French capital, some of whom have the potential to win medals and Olympic diplomas (awarded to athletes for outstanding performances and finishing between fourth and eighth without a podium finish). 

One of the most important athletes to represent the country in the Western Pacific is pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena. The 28-year-old from Tondo, who has won two medals at the World Athletics Championships in 2022 and 2023 and is ranked second in the world, is a strong contender for a podium finish in the pole vault. 

Similarly, gymnast Carlos Edriel Yulo is continuing his preparations to reach peak performance and improve on his runner-up finish at the 2022 World Championships, despite recent sub-optimal results.

In boxing, a very popular sport in the Philippines with Manny Pacquiao as one of its most iconic figures, boxer Eumir Marcial will be looking to improve on the middleweight bronze medal he won at the last Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 (originally Tokyo 2020, postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic). This time he will compete in the light heavyweight division. 

The increase in the number of athletes will largely depend on the performance of swimmer Kayla Sanchez, who will represent the Philippines at the Paris Olympics. She is the top-ranked swimmer in the women's 100m freestyle heats for the Philippines at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. The two-time Olympic medallist for Canada had her change of nationality approved by World Aquatics on 6 June 2023, securing one of the two mandatory spots for the Philippine swimming team at the Olympics. 

The 22-year-old may not need a wildcard as she is less than a second off the required Olympic standard in the 100m and 50m freestyle events. "These athletes are capable of bringing us Olympic medals. While we are already assured of at least seven qualified athletes, we expect more to qualify in the coming months," said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Tolentino.

"Kayla is just three-tenths of a second off the qualifying standard in these events. That's how close she is to earning a spot in Paris," said Philippine Aquatics Secretary General Eric Buhain. 

It's worth noting that the young Sanchez won silver and bronze medals in the women's relay for Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She then made the switch to the national team, which was approved by the International Olympic Committee and the World Aquatics Federation. 

She will join six other Filipino swimmers at the World Aquatics Championships in Doha as they look to book their ticket to Paris 2024, subject to the clock.