AMONG the athletes who will represent the country in the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China next year is the figure skating pair of Isabella Gamez and Aleksander Korovin, who was finally naturalized with the passage of the bill granting him Philippine citizenship late Tuesday night.
“The bill to grant Philippine citizenship to Aleksander Korovin has passed the 3rd reading in the Senate! Congratulations, Kabayan!” the Philippine Skating Union posted on its official Facebook page after the positive development.
“A heartfelt thank you to the Philippine Olympic Committee and our supporters in Congress and Senate. You have paved the way for Isabella and Aleksander to achieve even greater things in Philippine sports,” the PSU added.
“We’re already arranging the paperwork for the Bureau of Immigration for his (Korovin’s) passport,” said PSU chief Nikki Cheng yesterday.
“Yes, the pair of Gamez and Korovin will compete in the Asian Winter Games. This is the main reason why the naturalization was pushed, because both had to be citizens of the Philippines for the competition,” said Cheng.
Gamez and Korovin, who have been partners since 2021, will make their Philippine debut in the Asian Winter Games scheduled Feb. 7 to 17 in the city located 1,300.9 kilometers northeast of the Chinese capital of Beijing.
The maiden appearance of Gamez and Korovin in the Asian Winter Games will also mark the first time the Philippines will have a figure skating pair in the games in the country’s fifth stint in the meet since competing in the 1990 edition in Sapporo, Japan.
“We’re greatly thankful to the Philippine Olympic Committee, the Tolentino family, Cong. Michael Dy, and all the supporters of this bill in Congress and Senate,” Cheng said.
“The timing of this approval was strategically pursued to ensure the pair’s eligibility to compete at the upcoming Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, this February 2025,” she added. “This is a historic opportunity, and we firmly believe that this talented duo has the potential to bring home the Philippines’ first-ever medal in the Asian Winter Games.”
The duo finished seventh overall and was the best Asian team in the ISU Grand Prix held in Chongqing, China last month, scoring 151.26 points to relegate the hometown pair of Wang Yuchen and Zhu Lei to eighth place (136.90).
A gold medalist in the pair event in the 2018 University Winter Games in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, Korovin, 30, was grateful to finally compete as a Filipino citizen in an international competition.
“I’m thankful to represent the Philippines with Isabella and to be Filipino. I will continue to give 100 percent because I know what I’m fighting for, my kababayan, the Filipino people,” Korovin said.
Korovin and Gamez conducted a workshop for local figure skaters last Nov. 27 at the SM Mall of Asia Skating Arena, a few days after seeing action in the ISU Grand Prix.
Accompanied by Cheng, both athletes paid a courtesy call last Nov. 26 at the Senate headquarters in Pasay City and had talks with Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Senate Minority Leader Koko Pimentel after the bill awarding Korovin PH citizenship.
