Pinoy 'Splash Brothers' in SEA Games 'first-timers'

PASA chief Mark Joseph blames lack of support for 2 divers' poor showing

MANILA -- Philippine Aquatic Sports Association (PASA) chief Mark Joseph said the poor performance of Filipino divers in the 3-meter springboard diving finals of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games didn’t come as a surprise.

Joseph admitted that Elmerson Fabriga and John David Pahoyo are neophytes in the sport of diving who didn’t get much support for their preparations.

“They’re new, they’re young they’re first-timers at this level, so don’t expect fireworks. Alam mo naman yung divers natin, we only have one training center,” said Joseph in Snow Badua’s report to Spin.ph.

Pahoyo and Fabriga, who competed at the at the OCBC Aquatic Center in Singapore, both scored zero in Dive 4 after landing on their backs, the painful splash recorded for the world to see.

The “less than stellar” performances of Fabriga and Pahoyo went viral, with netizens commenting on how painful it must have been.

But the divers atoned for their miscues by doing better in the synchronized diving event.

The PASA chief said the incident should serve as a wake-up call. To produce world class athletes, someone will have to invest in their training.

“The reality is we are really left behind. Look at the Rizal Memorial [Sports Complex] compared to what you see here [in Singapore],” said Joseph.

“There has to be a program. There has to be a continuous program,” he said. “Without the money, there’s no program.”

But why did they bother to compete despite the lack of financial support?

“If you don’t compete, you’ll never know [how far behind you are]. The point is to participate, whether you win or lose. You fight. What are we gonna do, not show up? Bakya naman 'yun, coward 'yun,” said Joseph.