Gilas Hiraya Pilipinas aims to give new name meaning beyond rebrand

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Gilas Hiraya Pilipinas, the rebranded Philippine women's basketball team previously known as Gilas Women, is embracing a bigger dream, one that stretches beyond the regional stage…

Gilas Hiraya Pilipinas, the rebranded Philippine women's basketball team previously known as Gilas Women, is embracing a bigger dream, one that stretches beyond the regional stage and all the way to the Olympics.

Gilas Hiraya program director Bacon Austria said the team's ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and given what the squad has been showing as of late, he remains optimistic that the Filipinas are moving in the right direction.

For one, the Gilas Hiraya senior team has recently scored wins against opponents it had never beaten before.

Gilas Hiraya stunned Colombia during the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers last March before beating Senegal in the FIBA Women's Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament last August.

Recently, Gilas Hiraya also reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Games, while the 3x3 team bagged a rare silver medal to give the Philippine women's basketball program perhaps its most successful run in the quadrennial event.

"I just want to talk about the program and what’s happening with Gilas Hiraya. So both 3x3 and 5-on-5 teams are on an upward trend," Austria said in a press conference Saturday.

"The past Asian Games showed that both 2nd and 5th finishes are both best finishes. The 3x3 team went to the World Cup and the 5-on-5 team beat teams that we’ve never beaten before. I think that could be a benchmark and a good sign of things ahead of us."

Now carrying a new name and identity, Gilas Hiraya is setting its sights on the biggest stage of them all: the Olympic Games.

"We had lots of talks about what direction we want to take and where we want to go. Definitely, we want to, number one, head to the Olympics," Austria said.

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