THE naturalization of Russian figure skater Aleksandr Korovin will be a big boost to the campaign of Team Philippines in the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
Philippine Skating Union president Nikki Cheng said this after the Senate granted last month on third and final reading a bill giving Philippine citizenship to Korovin.
For years, the Russian national has been partnering with Filipina figure skater Isabella Gamez in numerous international competitions.
“We need both partners to be of one nationality. This is the reason why we pushed for Aleks to be naturalized,” said Cheng.
Korovin and Gamez will be among five figure skaters, who will be at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China this February.
A total of 20 athletes have been assembled to form the national contingent.
And the country will take part in six of the 11 sports in the Harbin games.
Last October, Gamez and Korovin bagged a silver medal in the Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur in France.
It marked the second time that they grabbed a silver in the same event since they last joined in 2022.
The Harbin Games will be their fourth year as partners in the sport.
Other figure skaters joining include Paolo Borromeo, Sofia Frank, Cathryn Limketkai, and Peter Groseclose, who will compete in short track speed skating.