BORACAY — Safety will be non-negotiable as nearly 200 swimmers take on the challenging waters of Boracay in the 4th Southeast Asia Open Water Championships.
Philippine Aquatics, Inc. secretary general Eric Buhain said organizers have gone all out to meet World Aquatics standards, particularly for the grueling 10-kilometer swim event.
“For us here, paramount in World Aquatics is safety. You cannot cut corners on that aspect,” Buhain said.
The former national swimming standout revealed that the event will have 18 kayaks, around 10 rubber boats, jet skis, lifesaving personnel, a triage area, four paramedics, two doctors, three ambulances and a standby hospital.
Buhain also explained that safety personnel will be able to closely monitor the swimmers throughout the race due to the course format being used.
“It’s not a point-to-point race. World Aquatics does that because they want the safety assets moving around and following the swimmers,” he said.
The biggest test, however, will come in the 10-kilometer swim, which Buhain described as an extreme challenge that could last more than two hours.
“It’s an extreme sport. I cannot emphasize that enough. It’s 10 kilometers, it’s not easy,” Buhain stressed.
He said even elite swimmers face a completely different challenge when extending their race from the traditional 1,500 meters to 10,000 meters.
“You can swim at world-class pace, but if you do it at 10,000 meters, it’s a different story,” Buhain said.
Fortunately, calm weather and waters are expected to provide an additional safety advantage as swimmers from the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam battle over three days. (Jesus Nathaniel Valdez)
