The Asian Swimming Federation (AASF), Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI), Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) signed a partnership agreement for the country’s hosting of the 2020 Asian Swimming Championships (ASC), a major aquatics event that happens every four years.
PSI President Maria Lailani Velasco announced that the AASF awarded PSI the rights to host the championships.
The championships will be held at the Aquatics Center at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
AASF Secretary-General Taha Sulaiman Al-Kishry said the event will be held from November 7 to 17. Al-Kishry is chief of the Oman Swimming Association and a member of the Fédération Internationale de Natation (Fina) Bureau.
“Clark was selected for the facility they can provide for AASF. We will be bringing the best teams in Asia,” Al-Kishry said. “During the championship we will have the General Congress where we will have the election after four years.”
The General Congress will be held on November 8, 2020. It is expected to bring together the executive board of Fina, as well as other high-ranking officers in the Asean.
Velasco said the Asian Swimming Championships is “on a par with the Asian Games in importance and is expected to [dominate] the success of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.”
It will bring together top swimmers from 50 AASF member-countries. Among these are Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan and Qatar.
The championships will have five disciplines—swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming and open water swimming.
She also cited the dynamic partnership PSI has with BCDA in light of the 30th Southeast Asian Games. “We at the PSI are very grateful to BCDA and the Philippine Sports Commission for agreeing to partner with us and provide us with the support needed to make this major aquatics event possible. Both these organizations were, in fact, instrumental in making the 30th SEA Games a success and it is our hope that the strong ties built during the SEA Games will translate into an even more successful staging of the Asian Swimming Championships.”
BCDA President and CEO Vivencio Dizon emphasized the readiness of New Clark City and its facilities to host the event.
“Thank you for offering us this opportunity to be part of a big project,” Dizon said. “We agree that this is a great occasion for us to inspire the next generation of elite athletes, as well as project a positive image of the Philippines to the world.”
PSC Commissioner Fatima Celia Kiram assured everyone that the sports agency will fully support the event.
“We do hope that the greatness of our Filipino athletes shown in the 30th Southeast Asian Games will be repeated in the coming 11th Asian Swimming Championship,” Kiram said.