MORE than 1,400 athletes are expected to converge at the Aquatics Center of the New Clark City for the 11th Asian Age Group Swimming Championships set December 3 to 14.
This was jointly announced by Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino and Bases Conversion Development Authority Senior Vice President Corporate Services Group Arrey Perez during the event’s logo launch at Charito in Tagaytay City on Monday.
Besides the championships for swimmers aged 11 to 18, the 45-country Asian Swimming Federation will also hold its Congress during the event in Clark.
The ASF granted to the POC and BCDA the hosting rights for the championships, which was originally scheduled for 2020 but was shuttered by the pandemic.
“We are handling the competition as a caretaker—as long as there’s no legitimate swimming body recognized [by the ASF and World Aquatics, formerly FINA],” Tolentino said. “The POC and BCDA are together in this meet.”
A World Aquatics-ordered and POC-supervised elections for the new members of the board of trustees of the Philippine Swimming Inc. are scheduled Thursday at the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Pasay City.
“The Aquatics Center is in harness for the championships—from the competition aspect to the accommodation and other organizational needs of the delegates,” said Perez, adding the world-class facility in Capas, Tarlac, that was the centerpiece venue for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games is well maintained.
Organizing committee head Jojit Alcazar and POC deputy secretary-general for international affairs Bones Floro also graced the logo launch for the biggest swimming competition that country is hosting.
“The delegates—athletes, officials, chaperones and tourists—will be having a convenient time at the New Clark City with the opening of the newest airport terminal in Clark and the new roads from the airport in Clark,” Perez added.
Competitions, according to Alcazar, will be in diving, water polo, swimming and artistic or synchronized swimming.
This year’s championships also serve as qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
India hosted the event in 2019 that drew 1,322 swimmers from 32 countries.
