Skate to Milano OWG Qualifier - Beijing CHN - Pairs SP & FS

[PRlady]

Just fyi, that passport doesn’t help much in other places. My friend’s son married a Filipina he met while teaching in Vietnam and she’s had a lot of trouble getting visas other places, including her Green Card here. (More than two years: took my husband a few months.)

 

[Karen-W]

He may have more leeway now that he has a passport that entitles him to stay/return to the Philippines.

At the very minimum, there may be an opportunity for him to relocate to Manila and start coaching if that's the direction he wants to go in professionally.

 

[Vagabond]

At the very minimum, there may be an opportunity for him to relocate to Manila and start coaching if that's the direction he wants to go in professionally.

This has to be a bitter pill to swallow when his former Russian partner is the reigning U.S. Pairs Champion, will have U.S. citizenship at some point (maybe even soon enough to compete at next year's Olympics) and can look forward to coaching in the United States if that's the direction she wants to go professionally.

And yes, he did make a choice: skate for the Philippines rather than risk getting drafted and be sent to fight in Ukraine. Why anyone who isn't a Russian ultranationalist thinks that he should have chosen the latter option is beyond me.

 

[Kateri]

I know that this is a common sentiment on FSU, but I don’t blame him. He has been more her indentured servant than her partner.

I do feel bad for him, he's clearly so miserable. Maybe smiling wasn't in the contract. Even with the passport, he might still be indebted. We just don't know - maybe they'll both do tell-alls one day, when the NDA expires.

 

[clairecloutier]

And yes, he did make a choice: skate for the Philippines rather than risk getting drafted and be sent to fight in Ukraine. Why anyone who isn't a Russian ultranationalist thinks that he should have chosen the latter option is beyond me.

Gamez/Korovin teamed up in August 2021, which was 6 months before the invasion of Ukraine.

Therefore, Korovin's decision to partner up with Gamez had nothing to do with the war. It could have affected his decision whether to stay in the partnership. But again, it's his decision. He could have returned to Russia if he wanted. It seems most elite male skaters in Russia have avoided conscription thus far, so it's not like it would have been automatic that he would have been conscripted, had he returned. He could have also looked for another international partnership.

Sorry to be argumentative but I just don't see Korovin as a victim in this situation.

 

[Karen-W]

Gamez/Korovin teamed up in August 2021, which was 6 months before the invasion of Ukraine.

Therefore, Korovin's decision to partner up with Gamez had nothing to do with the war. It could have affected his decision whether to stay in the partnership. But again, it's his decision. He could have returned to Russia if he wanted. It seems most elite male skaters in Russia have avoided conscription thus far, so it's not like it would have been automatic that he would have been conscripted, had he returned. He could have also looked for another international partnership.

Sorry to be argumentative but I just don't see Korovin as a victim in this situation.

Another data point to consider... He was never super-expressive or smiley when he skated with Efimova either. His demeanor is unsettling but it may just really be that he's one of those people who is perpetually stoic in his expression.

As it is, he's put 4 years into this partnership and they HAVE improved steadily over those 4 years. He's 31, so he may not have another Olympic cycle in him, but if he does, I sort of hope he teams up with someone like Sofia Frank who at least has a reliable 3T and 3S still - or some other Canadian or American-Filipina skater to see what he can accomplish.

 

[Vagabond]

Gamez/Korovin teamed up in August 2021, which was 6 months before the invasion of Ukraine.

Therefore, Korovin's decision to partner up with Gamez had nothing to do with the war. It could have affected his decision whether to stay in the partnership. But again, it's his decision. He could have returned to Russia if he wanted. It seems most elite male skaters in Russia have avoided conscription thus far, so it's not like it would have been automatic that he would have been conscripted, had he returned. He could have also looked for another international partnership.

Sorry to be argumentative but I just don't see Korovin as a victim in this situation.

There is no reason to believe that Korovin had any reasonable alternatives in August 2021 that would let him stay abroad other than to be Gamez's partner. Chances are that he does have a green card but that it is entirely dependent on his relationship the Gamez family. If the partnership dissolves without his having another partner lined up, he most likely will not be able to remain in the United States.

The war is still going on. Any young Russian man who returns to Russia faces the prospect of being drafted, especially if it appears that he has stayed abroad precisely to avoid conscription.

Indentured labor | Description, History, Geographical Distribution, & Facts | Britannica

Indentured labor is a form of contract labor in which laborers enter into an official agreement with their employer certifying that they will work for the employer for a fixed length of time or until a debt has been paid. The debt usually covers transport, housing, and food provided by the...

www.britannica.com

indentured labor, a form of contract labor in which laborers enter into an official agreement with their employer certifying that they will work for the employer either for a fixed length of time or until a debt has been paid. The debt is usually understood to include the costs that the employer charges the worker for transport from their home location as well as for housing and food. It may also include costs associated with the apprenticeship or other training that is, ostensibly, provided by the employer. Often, indentured workers make agreements unwillingly or unknowingly and are exploited by their employers.

Human trafficking | Definition, Awareness, Tactics, Statistics, Types, Examples, & Facts | Britannica

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery involving the illegal transport of individuals by force or deception for the purpose of labor, sexual exploitation, or activities in which others benefit financially. Human trafficking is a global problem affecting people of all ages.

www.britannica.com

human trafficking, form of modern-day slavery involving the illegal transport of individuals by force or deception for the purpose of labor, sexual exploitation, or activities in which others benefit financially. Human trafficking is a global problem affecting people of all ages.

I don't see much dissimilarity between these definitions and Korovin's situation.

 

[clairecloutier]

There is no reason to believe that Korovin had any reasonable alternatives in August 2021 that would let him stay abroad other than to be Gamez's partner. Chances are that he does have a green card but that it is entirely dependent on his relationship the Gamez family. If the partnership dissolves without his having another partner lined up, he most likely will not be able to remain in the United States.

But this is true of many ice dance or pairs partners who decide to cross borders and partner up with foreign skaters, particularly if the partner's skater or federation is the one largely footing the bill and/or sponsoring the residency permit. I can't think of any of these other skaters having been called indentured servants.

I'm sorry if Korovin is unhappy, but I just object to him being posited as some kind of prisoner/victim in an unusual situation different from anyone else's.

If he's unhappy, it may simply be because, despite training etc., he and Gamez are not skating as well as he would like, or seeing the results he would like, or don't have the same goals etc. Many pairs or ice dancers experience this, including those in mixed-country partnerships.

It would seem like the situation (from his point of view) has arguably improved, since they are now training at least part-time in Sochi with Savin, a Russian coach. Hopefully this would make it easier for him to visit home, etc.