THE International Swimming Federation or Fina has sanctioned the Philippine 30th Southeast Asian Games as a qualifier for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Fina made the declaration through a letter from its Executive Director Cornel Marculescu to the Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI), the national sports association for swimming.
Fina said the local federation should communicate the official results right after the SEA Games.
The SEA Games swimming competitions are scheduled from December 2 to 6 at the Aquatics Center of the sprawling New Clark City.
PSI President Lani Velasco said the SEA Games will be a golden opportunity for Filipinos to punch their tickets to Tokyo.
“We are very grateful that Fina has approved the 30th Southeast Asian Games as a qualifying meet for the Tokyo Olympics,” Velasco said. “This is unprecedented.”