FOR team events, being the best may not necessarily get you a spot in the national team as there are other factors being considered.
But for individual events, being the best should get you that spot. At least that’s true for countries with sports leaders who use common sense. In the case of the swimming in the Philippines, being the best won’t get you a spot in the national team. Being with the right group will.
So I was really glad to hear that Philippine Olympic Committee chairman Ricky Vargas has encouraged the Philippine Swimming Institute to hold open tryouts for the Southeast Asian Games and include those not affiliated with them. That’s the latest episode in the swimming drama that had three groups threatening to hold separate tryouts for the SEA Games.
Though we are an archipelago, our swimming team can barely make ripples in international meets and it’s understandable why. How can you develop a strong team if the leaders of the sport are busy drowning each other?
Heck before PSI, Asap and Pasa were holding pissing contests against each other. It got so bad that Pasa called up the organizers of the Arafura games to prevent gifted Cebuano swimmer Loren Dale Echavez from receiving a silver medal in Australia.
Why? Politics and they wanted to preserve their stranglehold of the sport. When PSI replaced Pasa, I thought that practice would end but I guess that never did since the POC had to step in to resolve the issue.
And mind you, we are still talking about tryouts for the SEA Games that is only 10 months away. Shouldn’t we be focused on training the right people right now?
For the SEA Games, Vargas took the win-win solution by recognizing only the tryouts of the PSI but telling the group to include non PSI members. For future tryouts, there shouldn’t be a need to distinguish PSI or non PSI members but simply invite the best swimmers out there.
“There is no need for acrimony and divisiveness. We can work this out..I call on the other groups to cooperate and work as one for the country’s interest,” Vargas said in a statement.
Swimming is a medal-rich event in the SEA Games and if we are to win the overall title, we need to send a team made up of the best swimmers.
Vargas’ move is a great start to forming that.
If this SEA Games swim team proves successful, I hope that will become the norm in future tryouts.