FINA clarifies issue on Chloe Isleta’s non-inclusion in the upcoming Worlds
The Philippine Swimming Inc. will only send Jasmine Alkhaldi, Miranda Renner, and Jonathan Cook to the World Championships as the International Swimming Federation, or FINA confirmed that Chloe Isleta was excluded because she did not meet the conditions for the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
“FINA confirms that Mrs. Lailani Velasco, recognized president of the Philippine Swimming, Inc., has completed the sports entries of the swimming delegation of the Philippines according to FINA rules,” FINA sports director Pere Miro said in a one-page letter to Velasco Saturday.
Isleta, the Philippines’ lone gold medalist in the previous Southeast Asian Games, originally cracked the lineup together with Luke Gebbie, Alkhaldi, and Renner as the three achieved the standard entry time.
FINA rules state that countries which have three swimmers who attained the standard entry time have the option to include one additional swimmer, “provided that both genders are represented.”
However, due to Gebbie withdrawing from the World Championships due to an injury, the PSI was forced to remove Isleta as only two swimmers – Alkhaldi and Renner – accomplished the standard entry time remained.
“We understand that originally three athletes from the Philippines had achieved the qualification standard times. Following the injury of Luke Michael Gebbie, only two athletes registered at the Fina World Championships had a qualifying time B,” said Miro.
In the Vietnam Games, an event approved by FINA as a qualifier for the world, Alkhaldi (25.62 seconds in women’s 50m freestyle), Jerard Jacinto (26.04 seconds in men’s backstroke) and Renner (26.99 seconds in women’s 50m butterfly) achieved “B” standard entry times.
Gebbie achieved a “B” standard entry time during the Tokyo Olympics way back in July 2021 (49.64 seconds in men’s 100m freestyle).
Due to health reasons, Jacinto was forced to beg off and was also excluded from the roster.
“Therefore, with only two athletes which qualified with a B standard entry time for the world championships, the maximum number of swimmers allowed is two male and two female athletes. It is not possible to have three female athletes and one male athlete,” he added.
Tags: #swimming, #FINA, #PSI