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| The Israeli national swimming team at the New Clark City Aquatics Center for their week-long training prior to the Tokyo Olympics. (Image Source: Manila Bulletin) |
The New Clark City Aquatics Center has earned rave reviews from the 17-member Israel national swimming team which were training for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games. Witnessed by several officials of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Clark Development Corporation (CDC) and Philippine Swimming Inc. (PSI), BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer and deputy chief implementer of the country's pandemic response Vince Dizon said that the venue's hosting of the Israeli team will not only boost the Filipinos' confidence in New Clark City's world-class facilities, but also 'showcase the capability of the country to recover from the pandemic'.
“We are thrilled yet humbled at the same time to host our friends from Israel in New Clark City’s first-ever sports bubble. Israel is one of the leading countries in the world for COVID-19 vaccination and response. So, for their athletes, coaches and officials to have the confidence to train in our country and at the Aquatics Center—that is truly a blessing,” said Dizon during his visit to the swimming facility last July 15, 2021 to witness the training from a safe distance that didn't compromise the integrity of the training bubble. “I travelled all around the world and saw thousands of aquatic complexes. New Clark City’s facility is among the best in the world!” shared former US swimming coach and professional advisor for the Israel national swimming team David Marsh. “It’s a really nice pool with really nice surrounding views. And the bright color of the pool makes it look even better. More importantly, I like how the pool is really fast. Thank you for having us here!” seconded Andrea Murez, 29-year-old swimmer for the 100-meter Freestyle.
Itay Goldfaden, 25-year-old representative for the 4x100-meter Mixed Medley Relay, said: “The swimming arena is one of the best pools I’ve ever seen. Good view, good weather. It’s definitely high quality. I would like to come here again someday.” “Just really amazing facilities. I’m enjoying my time over here,” added Ron Polonsky, 20-year-old swimmer for the 200-meter Individual Medley. On the other hand, Israeli Embassy of the Philippines' Charge d'Affaires Nir Balzam who joined Dizon to witness the training expressed, “We’d like to extend our thanks to Sec. Vince, BCDA, and the Philippine government for being a true friend of Israel and also for hosting our swimmers. Having them here, training in this bubble setting where they can train freely, get acclimated to the region and the time zone, we really appreciate it."
First used as the venue for the swimming event of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games hosted by the Philippines, the New Clark City Aquatics Center has a total seating capacity of 2,000, a ten-lane competiton pool, an eight-lane training pool, and a diving pool. It is the only swimming facility in the country that is accredited by the Fédéracion Internationale De Nation. "Since Tokyo and the Philippines have similar time zones (only one hour difference), the Israel team wanted to adjust as early as possible in preparation for the Olympics. Furthermore, the availability of world-class facilities made coming here more attractive,” said Lani Velasco, president of Philippine Swimming Inc.
