INQUIRER Sports

ABOUT 800 TANKERS IN 10 different age categories plunge into action starting Friday in the Pasa National Short Course Swimming Championship at the Trace Aquatics Center in Los Baños, Laguna.

Philippine Aquatic Sports Association president Mark Joseph said the swimmers are fresh off the G-League meets in 17 regions across the country.

Individual and team titles are up for grabs in the four-day championships, which will gauge the athletes? skill levels and serve as a key component of Pasa?s national team identification program.

?G-League stands for Grassroots and Pasa?s theme of growth for swimming,? said Joseph. ?It will serve as a qualifying tournament and the gathering of the top local swimmers.?
The national short course meet is the first for Pasa in 10 years.

Joseph said Pasa will use state-of-the-art equipment such as the Colorado timing system touch pads to adhere to international swimming federation (Fina) standards.

The 50-meter pool at Trace will also be divided into two 25-meter pools so Pasa can hold more races.

A side event of the championships is the first Pasa Technical Congress which will plot the national sport association?s future programs.

?We will discuss the direction Pasa needs to take in the next five years,? said Joseph.