Coleman in action (file photo)

EXPERIENCE prevails as familiar faces grabbed the limelight in their respective age group classes and passed the qualifying time standard at the start of the MVP/Smart-PAI National Tryouts for the 47^th Southeast Asia (SEA) Age-Group Championships on Friday at the Teofilo Yldefonso Aquatics Center inside the famed Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Malate, Manila.

Julia Basa in action

THE Philippine water polo junior teams grabbed a piece in history, with the boys' under-21 team claiming a bronze medal in the just-concluded 60^th Malaysia Invitational Age-Group Water Polo Championships in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

THE Philippine Aquatics, Inc. (PAI) formed a 30-man Philippine Junior Teams (boys and girls) to participate in the 60th Malaysia International Age-Group Water Polo Championships, which will be held April 18-20 at the National Aquatic Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

All system goes for the historic Madwave-Oceanman 2025 Siargao Open Water Swim Series slated April 4-6 in General Luna Boulevard.

Event spokesperson Jose Ronaldo Bate Vibar announced that 569 swimmers from 34 countries and 109 swim and triathlon clubs beat the registration deadline of March 16.

“As of yesterday 90 swimmers were already registered for the 10KM Oceanman distance, 195 for the 5KM Half Oceanman, 203 for the Sprint 2KM distance, 66 for the Oceankids 500 meter event, and 15 for the Oceanteams 3X500 meter event,” Vibar revealed.

The first-ever 2025 Oceanman Open Water Swim Series in Siargao is an international event co-presented by Madwave, and supported by the local government of the tourism-rich island of Surigao Del Norte.

Earlier Vibar said that Philippine celebrities led by Filipino-American Model Will Dasovich, Erwan Huessaff, and Nico Bolzico are expected to strut their open water swimming skills in the 5KM island to island traverse.

“These are some of the personalities to watch out for in this international event which is sanctioned by the Philippine Aquatics and will feature top open water swimmers from Asia and abroad such as those coming from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Spain, Croatia, Ukraine, Italy, Mexico, Kazakhstan and many more,” Vibar said during the weekly Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the SM City Davao Annex recently

There will be several age groups and distances for this unique open water swimming event namely the Oceankids 500m, the Oceanteams 3X500m, the Sprint 2KM, the Half Oceanman 5KM, and the Oceanman 10KM. The age groups are from 12 years old and above (male, female, or mixed) for the 3X500M Oceanteams, the Junior 14-19, 16-19, Master 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70 over for the Half Oceanman 5KM and the Oceanman 10KM, and the Oceankids 500M under 9, under 11, under 13 and 15.

The Oceanman is the only international open water swimming circuit for amateur and professional swimmers with multiple events in iconic locations all over the globe where participants share a truly unforgettable experience and bond amongst themselves.

The Siargao Oceanman leg is the only event of its kind here in the Philippines for 2025. For more info, you can check their website at www.oceanmanswim.com.      

PAI Secretary General Batangas 1st District Rep. Eric Buhain prepares the ceremonial capsule during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Balayan Aquatic Center Phase-2 project.

EXPECT more regional and national tournaments to be hosted in Batangas with the completion of the Balayan Aquatics Center Phase 2 construction this year.

Buhain addresses participants during PAI tournament. (File Photo)

By Edwin Rollon

OVER 300 swimmers from invited schools, member clubs, and local government units (LGUs) in the Southern Tagalog region are set to join in the Philippine Aquatics Inc. (PAI)-organized Congressman Eric Buhain Cup on Saturday, March 15, at the newly built Balayan Aquatics Center in Brgy. Caloocan, Balayan, Batangas.