PASA to decide on tanker’s fate

The Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA) will decide today whether or not Timmy Chua, who competed and succeeded in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Hong Kong last week, will be allowed to join the Philippine team to Athens, Greece next month.

Chito Rivera, PASA secretary-general, was burning the lines with his fellow swimming officials as of presstime, hoping to come up with a decision regarding Chua who met the Olympic B standard of 1:05.02 in the men’s 100-meter breaststroke in Hong Kong by clocking 1:04.93.

The problem, Rivera explained, was that Chua, a 21-year-old student from the University of the Philippines, competed in Hong Kong without notifying the PASA.

This is against PASA rules on Filipino swimmers seeking slots in the Olympics or other major international competitions.

Rivera and the PASA board was scheduled to meet last night in search for a "common consent" on the matter.

If no decision is arrived at today, it would mean the automatic disqualification of Chua to the Athens Games because today is the deadline set by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) for the submission of the official lineups from the competing countries.

While the PASA withheld any decision, five Filipino Olympic swimmers have rallied behind Chua who could be the 16th member of the RP team and the fifth to represent the country in the swimming competitions in Athens.

They are Ral Rosario, Mark Joseph, Carlo Piccio, Pinky Brosas and Akiko Thomson.

"I believe Timmy should be allowed to go. He made the qualification times clearly. No athlete should be denied this opportunity," said Thomson, who competed in the Olympics in 1988 in Seoul, 1992 in Barcelona and 1996 in Atlanta.

Already assured of slots in the RP swimming team to Athens are Miguel Molina, Miguel Mendoza, JB Walsh and Jaclyn Pangilinan. Molina and Mendoza are Pinoys based in the US while Walsh and Pangilinan are Fil-Americans. — Abac Cordero