COPA novice swim meet flags off

A BIGGER number of young swimmers are expected to compete in the 1st Novice Swim Championship of the Congress of Philippine Aquatics Inc. (COPA) beginning today, September 24, at the Teofilo Ildefonso Swimming Pool inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

COPA board member coach Chito Rivera said the decision of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to relax the regulation on the antigen testing requirement for those who enter the agency’s facility encouraged more parents, coaches and swimmers to join the tournament, which is one of the grassroots program that COPA lined up this year.

“Through the effort of congressman Eric Buhain who is also one of COPA’s founders, PSC chairman Noli Eala agreed to remove the antigen requirements. We know that there are still many parents and swimmers who avoided undergoing the antigen test. With this, we expected an increase from our confirmed 300 participants this weekend,” said Rivera.

“The tournament is very important for swimmers. This way they can be more motivated and persevere to reach the level they need to go up to elite competition.”

Rivera added that the two-day weekend competition is open not only to COPA affiliated clubs and organizations “as long as their respective coaches personally enlist them.”

“It’s open to everyone, we won’t discriminate swimmers. Kailangan lang ‘yung coach nila mismo ang magpapalista para malaman namin kung saan namin ilalagay yung mga bata kasi sila nakakaalam sa kakayahan ng mga bata,” Rivera stated.

“We can’t avoid that there will be someone who is not a first timer or whose time is already past the novice group. So, we place a cut-off time to determine that the swimmers are in class A, B or C. With this, the first timer will definitely win medals,” said Rivera, a former national swimming official and varsity coach of Jose Rizal University.

All event winners will be awarded medals.