World Aquatics withdraws recognition from Philippine swimming body

MANILA, Philippines – The world governing body for swimming has withdrawn its recognition of the Philippine Swimming, Inc. (PSI) in its entirety just 12 days after the international federation (IF) formerly known as FINA scrapped from its list the members of the PSI’s board of trustees and officers, including its president.

“The recognition of Philippine Swimming, Inc. is now deemed withdrawn and the stabilization committee will act as a reform and electoral committee in its place,” the FINA said in a memo dated December 15 and addressed to PSI president Maria Lailani “Lani” Velasco.

Now known by a new brand name World Aquatics, the swimming IF decided on dropping PSI from its roster of national federations during its meeting on December 12 after having been informed by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on the creation of a stabilization committee that would run the association’s day-to-day operations on top of amending its by-laws and conducting new elections.

As a result of the second memo, POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the stabilization committee has an added responsibility of working toward a new corporate name or identity of the national sports association (NSA) for swimming and no longer the PSI.

“The stabilization committee will have — as a more onerous task — to recommend an entirely new NSA for swimming,” said Tolentino, who’s also the president of the national federation for cycling called PhilCycling. “The committee has six months to do that and make the communications with the FINA.”

The latest FINA directive followed the same path taken by the International Volleyball Federation or FIVB and the World Karate Federation or WKF on the NSAs for both sports.

The Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF) was scrapped in favor of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Inc. and the Philippine Karatedo Federation for Karate Pilipinas.

The FINA, in a letter dated December 3, withdrew its recognition of officers and board members of the PSI after deciding that the NSA failed to comply with the IF’s instruction on amending its by-laws and hold elections under its new charter.

And just like in the December 3 memo, the POC and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Emmanuel “Noli” Eala were sent copies of the December 12 decision.

The POC assigned three members of the stabilization committee — POC legal head Atty. Wharton Chan and deputy secretary general Valeriano “Bones” Floro and Bases Conversion Development Authority senior vice president Arrey Perez.

The latest IF memo was also signed by FINA executive director Brent Nowicki and also stressed that the decision is effective immediately.