Coseteng Cup slated May 19-20

MANILA, Philippines - Efforts to continue with the search for new, young talents through a grassroots program, the Philippine Swimming League and the Diliman Preparatory School have scheduled the second Sen. Nikki Swimming Championships May 19-20 at the Rizal Memorial pool.

Inspired by the resounding success the first Sen. Nikki Coseteng Cup had accomplished, the PSL and DPS are teaming up anew to identify more talents that will be trained and developed to become members of the national teams.

The two-day meet is actually part of separate agreements the PSL and DPS entered into with the Philippine Sports Commission and Federation of Schools Sports Association of the Philippines with the aim of sending a competitive national team to the World University Games in Russia next year.

Winners of the two-day competitions and those of the first staging will then meet in a face off to decide the national swimming squad to the Universiade, Coseteng herself announced during a recent SCOOP Sa Kamayan session.

Outstanding products of the opening league of the program, headed by Kevin Claveria and Paula Cayanan, who both passed the motivational United States AAAA standard set by Olympian and PSL president Susan Papa, led a selection carrying the country’s colors in an international competition held in Hong Kong last weekend.

The PSL set the norm to make sure that the talents the program might identify will have a future becoming a national swimmer.

“The Philippine Amateur Sports Association, the organization recognized by the POC (Philippine Olympic Committee), continues to deny us recognition, but let it not be said that the DPS and the PSL are not doing anything to provide the grassroot programs the PASA continues to ignore,” the former lawmaker told her audience during the forum.

“We are actually doing what the PASA has, for the last three, four decades, failed to do,” the fiery first woman to own and manage a team in the pro PBA, stressed during the forum sponsored by Powerade, AKTV and FILA.

“The PASA, you see, continues to rely on Fil-foreign tankers to represent the country in the international arena such as the SEA Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games,” she said. “Problem is they look to have run out of Fil-foreign talents.

“We might not get the recognition from the POC and PASA, but that doesn’t stop us from bringing honors to the country, through the University Games and other competitions under FESSAP and the International Schools Sports Federation (FISU).

“Eh ang PASA, ano na nangyari? While in 2003 Filipino swimmers are tops in Asian Age-group competitions, last year, barely a decade after, kulelat na tayo sa SEA Games, the lowest form of regional sporting meet,” Coseteng bewailed.

The daughter of PBA founding father Emerson Coseteng thanked the PSC and its chair, Richie Garcia for allowing the DPS and PSL the use of the RMSC pool.

“At least nagagamit na namin ang Rizal Memorial not unlike before when we were banned from even entering the government-owned facility,” she said.