History of Swimming

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF SWIMMING IN THE PHILIPPINES The Filipinos needed motivation to appreciate swimming as a competitive sport. This is due to the fact that their ancestors were sea-faring people owing to the more than 7,100 islands which compose this country. The American military men introduced swimming as a comparative sport in the country. Through the pioneering efforts of YMCA leaders working among the American Military forces, the rudiments of the sports were impressed upon the Filipinos who saw in 1907 the construction of the first swimming pool in the country at Fort McKinley YMCA. The holding of the first dual swimming meet between Manila YMCA and the Fort McKinley YMCA in 1910 marked the formal inception in the Philippines of swimming as a competitive sports. This initial competition among members of the defunct Philippine Scouts of the US Army in the Philippines with the motive power of the YMCA which was later joined by the American Columbian Club in the effort, kindled Filipino interest in the sport. In 1911, Filipinos watched avidly from the sidelines as the first swimming championship meet was held at the American Columbian Club swimming pool with competing American team from the Manila YMCA, the American Columbian Club, and the USS Saratoga. In the following year (1912), the Filipinos participated in the second championship meet. Of the 42 individual entries, the late Condrado Benitez emerged as the most outstanding Filipino swimmer. During the Far Eastern Games held at Manila in 1913, the Philippine Team composed of Condrado Benitez, J. del Pan, C. Aiville and L. Cristobal won the championship against China and Japan. The following decade, educational institutions, the first of which was the University of the Philippines, followed later on by the Philippines Women's University, trained swimmers.