BIFIN and para events are featured in the third and fourth legs of the Congress of Philippine Aquaticss Inc. (COPA) Golden Goggles Championships this weekend end at the Teofilo Yldefonso Pool the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.
COPA board member and Samahang Manlalangoy ng Pilipinas (SMP) president Chito Rivera said the inclusion of BiFin swimmers and athletes with disabilities is part of COPA’s thrust to develop athletes from the grassroots while helping all sector and stakeholders of the sport.
“Under the leadership of Cong. Eric Buhain, we want to make sure that nobody will be left behind in our quest to further develop the grassroot level while strengthening the talents in the elite the BiFin and our brothers with disabilities,” said Rivera, also swimming head coach of Jose Rizal University.
Buhain is COPA president and a congressman from Batangas’s First District.
The BiFin swimmers and para athletes in this weekend’s races, Rivera said, are warming up for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games and Asean Para Games in Cambodia next month.
Rivera saud that COPA has a memorandum of agreement with the Finswimming Federation of the Philippine for the conduct of national tryouts that picked an eight-member—four men and as many women—BiFin swimming team to Cambodia.
BiFin is a finswimming discipline using bifin and snorkel and contested over 50, 100 and 200 meters.
The BiFin team to the SEA Games is composed of Romina Rafaelle Gavino, Raissa Regatta, Eugenie Gavino, Marjorie Denise Manguiat and Sam Andrei Doragos.
The Cambodia-bound swimming team is made up of Troy Castor, Kristoff Daniel David, Raymond Paloma, Renz Kenneth Santos in the men’s division, and Alexi Cabayaran, Janine Dela Pax, Raina Samantha Leyran and Ishaelle Mae Villa in the women’s side.
Veteran internationalist Ramil Ilustre and Caezar Alcantara are the team’s coaches.