Asian Games delegation head Richard Gomez is "strongly considering" the women’s volleyball team, made up of stars from the Philippine Superliga and Philippine Volleyball League, for inclusion in the Indonesia Asiad this year.

If it pushes through, the country will be fielding its first women’s national team to the Asian Games since 1982.

“We are strongly considering the inclusion of men’s basketball and women’s volleyball,” Gomez said after a recent meeting with the joint technical working group of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the Games that will run from August 18 to September 2.

It's no surprise that Gomez, who played volleyball since his elementary-school days, wants the country to compete in the sport in the Asiad.

Gomez, president of the Philippine Fencing Association, the sport's national governing body, is a multi-sports athlete who also excels in volleyball.

He was part of the national volleyball team that played in the Asian Men's Club Volleyball Championship in April 2014.

• Richard Gomez joins PH volleyball team

Joey Romasanta, president of Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc., said in a January 2017 interview that participating in the Asian Games was "the ultimate goal."

"We're not just setting our sights on (the 2017) SEA Games . . . We want to come up with a good performance for us to merit a slot in the Asian Games," Romasanta said.

PSC chair Butch Ramirez has given the POC a free hand to determine and finalize the size of the delegation for the Games.

“We leave the decision to the POC. The PSC shall support the team as best as we can,’’ Ramirez said.

Based on an earlier projection using gold and silver medalists in last year’s Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games as one of the criteria, about 150 Filipino athletes are bound for the Asiad to be hosted by the cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

“We still do not have the final numbers, but there will be not much difference from the previous projection,’’ Gomez said, noting that adjustments could be applied for measurable sports.

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