Lani Velasco has been given a fresh four-year term as Philippine Swimming, Inc. (PSI) chairman and president following a recent election during its congress at the New Coast Hotel in Manila.
For Velasco, the goal remains the same for the PSI board of trustees, and that is to have a “healthy participation from all five disciplines” in the sport, as well as to send athletes to different international tournaments particularly the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Also elected to their respective positions were Antoinette Mendoza as secretary, Vero Paloma as treasurer, and Edgardo Lora, Conreylito Dalisay, Sherwyn Santiago, Jefferson Lao, Roberto Tan and Lea Antig as members of the board of trustees.
“We’re hoping to see our athletes perform well in different international competitions,” said Velasco, whose leadership enjoys the full support of both the International Swimming Federation (FINA) and the Asia Swimming Federation (AASF).
“We want to see more of our athletes qualify in various meets abroad, especially the Olympics,” she added.
The five events in aquatics are swimming, water polo, diving, open water and artistic swimming.
Under the leadership of Velasco, the country sent two qualified swimmers during the previous Tokyo Olympics as Fil-Ams Luke Gebbie and Remedy Rule represented the Philippines in the Summer Games.
In the 30th Southeast Asian Games the country hosted in 2019, James Daiparine captured the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke – the country’s first gold in 10 years – at the New Clark Aquatics Center in Capas, Tarlac.
The national team also captured six silvers and nine bronze medals in the 2019 biennial meet, and according to Velasco, the goal is to match – if not surpass – that medal haul in the Hanoi SEA Games in Vietnam on May 12 to 23.
