BORACAY — The 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Championships could be more than just a regional competition for the Philippines.
For Philippine Aquatics, Inc. secretary general Eric Buhain, the three-day event in Boracay could serve as an important step toward bringing even bigger international open water competitions to the country.
“One step at a time. Maybe if all goes well, we’ll go for an Asia-level hosting. And hopefully later on, maybe World Cup-level open water swimming,” Buhain said.
Nearly 200 swimmers from the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore are competing at Boracay Newcoast, but the event is also under the watchful eye of World Aquatics evaluator Damien Vanderberg.
Buhain said Vanderberg is overseeing the technical and organizational aspects of the competition, an evaluation that could potentially open doors for the Philippines to host larger events in the future.
“Basically, in a nutshell, he is looking at us if possibly we can hold a bigger event here in the future,” Buhain explained.
So far, the feedback has been encouraging.
Buhain said the World Aquatics official was impressed by Boracay’s conditions, particularly its crystal-clear waters.
“Everybody was mesmerized. When they’re swimming, they can actually see the fish swimming under them,” Buhain said.
The Philippines is now looking beyond Southeast Asia, with Buhain eyeing a possible Asian-level event involving competitors from around 45 countries before eventually taking aim at the World Cup level.
But the bigger dream will depend on more than Boracay’s world-famous scenery.
“Our technical officials have to be truly competent enough to host it. The organizing committee has to be competent enough to bring in all the guests and delegates, and how we conduct the competitions is also part of the evaluation,” Buhain said.
On the competition side, Buhain identified Alex Chu and Anton Delia as two of the Philippines’ top long-distance swimmers to watch in the five and 10-kilometer events.
The former national swimmer also believes open water swimming presents a major opportunity for a country surrounded by water.
“We’re an archipelago of 7,100 islands. If open water swimming is promoted in the countryside, more people will be encouraged to swim, and because of that, more swimmers will develop,” he said.
Still, the hosts face stiff competition.
Buhain pointed to Thailand, which brought 31 swimmers to Boracay, as well as Vietnam, which he said has emerged as another strong regional force.
“Thailand is a good team, and Vietnam is also here. They’re strong. But the Philippines is up there. I think our swimmers are very competitive,” Buhain said.
After months of preparations and repeated coordination with local officials and the Philippine Sports Commission, Buhain said the long wait is finally over.
“There’s excitement and anticipation. For the last four months, every month, we’ve been here in Boracay coordinating. Finally, we’re here,” he said.
And with clear skies greeting the competing nations after cloudy conditions when he first arrived, Buhain is hoping Boracay makes the kind of impression that could bring the world back for something even bigger. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
