A lean but mean Philippine boxing team left for Bangkok, Thailand on Sunday, May 5, for its final buildup for the World Qualification Tournament for the 2024 Paris Olympics scheduled late this month.

Carlo Paalam, who won the silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, banners the four-athlete crew that is also composed of Rogen Ladon, Criztian Pitt Laurente and Hergie Bacyadan as they try to earn berths in the last qualification tournament for the Games.

The competition will be held on May 24 to June 2 at the Indoor Stadium Huamark in Bangkok, giving the Filipino fighters ample time to prepare in a training camp at the Thai capital.

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) secretary general Marcus Manalo said they focused on the quality rather than quantity of boxers for the final Olympic qualification.

“We are sending those who we think have the best chance to qualify (for the Olympics),” Manalo told Manila Bulletin/Tempo.

“This will allow our coaches and staff to focus better, and also for our resources to be focused on fewer boxers,” he added.

Except for Laurente, who will compete in the men’s 63.5kg, the rest of the team saw action in the first World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy last March.

Paalam exited in the Round of 16 of the men’s 57kg after nursing a shoulder injury in his previous bout, Ladon bowed in the men’s 51kg, and Bacyadan lost in the first round of the women’s 75kg.

Among all four, Paalam is expected to go through the eye of the needle as his weight class only offers three Olympic slots. Ladon and Baycadan needed to make it to the semifinals to get Paris tickets, while Laurente’s weight division stakes five berths.

So far, the country has three boxers qualified to Paris: Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial (men’s 80kg), Aira Villegas (women’ 50kg), and Tokyo silver winner Nesthy Petecio (women’s 57kg).

The country hopes to send as many boxers as it can. The most number of Filipino boxers who qualified for the Olympics was six in the 1998 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona edition, where it went to produce one bronze apiece: Leopoldo Serantes in Seoul and Roel Velasco in Barcelona.

In Tokyo, the country sent four pugs and went home with two silver and one bronze medal.