The Wushu Federation of the Philippines expressed confidence that at least eight of its world-class players could make it to the Beijing Olympics next year, local media reported on Tuesday.

Wushu chief Julian Camacho believes his players are capable of giving the formidable Chinese squad a good fight owing to their credible performances in various tournaments, the latest of which was the Doha Asian Games last December, said a report by The Manila Bulletin daily.

"Our athletes showed a lot of improvements in their performance and character. I'm optimistic that eight to 10 athletes have the chance to compete in the Olympics," said Camacho.

In the Doha Games, Rene Catalan upstaged his taller rival to produce one of four gold medals won by the Philippine team in the quadrennial meet. Also winning a silver for the Wushu squad was Eduard Folayang.

Prior to the quadrennial meet, Catalan and Benjie Rivera also emerged champions in the 3rd World Sanshou Championship in Xi'an, China.

The association starts its selection process with the staging of the National Open in May. The association is also set to compete in the World Junior Championships in June and 9th World Wushu Championships in Beijing in November where winners will eventually make it to the Olympiad.

Source: Xinhua