Senator Manny Pacquaio is pushing for the naturalization of a Russian wrestler, a move that, he said, would be favorable to the Philippine sports.
Naturalizing athletes has been a practice in some countries to enhance a the chance of excelling in different sports.
Pacquiao has filed Senate Bill 969 seeking the naturalization of Russian freestyle wrestling champion Egor Dmitriev.
“Dmitriev has expressed his interest in joining the Philippine wrestling team and competing for the country. In addition, if citizenship is granted and given his experience and skills, he wishes to train and teach the National Wrestling Team in order to further hone their talents,” Pacquiao said.
Some people opposed the bill saying the country should focus on training Filipino wrestlers instead of importing foreigners.
