PSC puts PASA to task for divers’ woes

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) yesterday called on the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) to set a clearer direction for the RP swimmers and divers to follow regarding their possible stints in this year’s Athens Olympics.

Without really interfering with PASA affairs, PSC chairman Eric Buhain rued the fact that a couple of RP divers, Zardo Domenios and Sheila Mae Perez, were denied chances of qualifying to the Olympics in August due to several reasons.

Buhain said PASA, under Chito Ilagan, was late in submitting a request for financial assistance for the two veterans of the 2000 Sydney Olympians who were supposed to compete in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens, Greece last February.

Buhain said the PSC got hold of the PASA request only a month before the competition and not within the deadline set by the government sports agency regarding such requests.

"But we could have talked about it. The other problem though was that PASA did not push for the visas of these divers," said Buhain.

"They could have done well in that qualifying tournament because in one recent event in China where there were Europeans and Australians, these divers managed a couple of fourth or third place finishes," added the PSC chief, winner of 15 gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games.

Buhain said although Domenios and Perez still have a chance to qualify to the Athens Games, he doesn’t want the same thing to happen to the swimmers like Jenny Guerrero and Raphael Chua (100-m breaststroke), Benjie Uy (100-m butterfly) and Gem Ong (100-m freestyle).

"These swimmers are just a shade lower than the Olympic B qualifying standards so I’m asking the PASA to give them a clearer direction. Set the standards and once they are met, inform them of the Olympic qualifying events for them to join," Buhain added. — Abac Cordero