MANILA – World Aquatics, the international federation for water sports, has approved Kayla Noelle Sanchez’s change of nationality from Canada to the Philippines effective Thursday. ‘The World Aquatics has approved the request for the sport nationality’s change of the Athlete [Sanchez], born on 7 April 2001, in the Aquatics sports of Swimming, from Canada (CAN) to Philippines (PH),’ said World Aquatics legal counsel Loic Loutan in a letter dated July 4 and transmitted to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) on Thursday. ‘Therefore, the Athlete is entitled to represent Philippines (PHI) in international competitions from 6 July 2023 onwards,’ Loutan added. POC president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino has pursued Sanchez’s change of nationality for the past year, which included her completing a year-long residency requirement. ‘Finally, the good news,’ Tolentino said. ‘The country now has a very strong anchor in its national swimming team.’ Sanchez, whose parents are from Pampanga, will officially start swimming for the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 this year in Hangzhou, China. Upon the advice of her coach, she will skip the World Aquatics Championships which will be held from July 14 to 30 in Fukuoka, Japan to focus on her preparation for the Asian Games. Sanchez, who grew up in Canada, won a silver medal (4x100m freestyle relay) and a bronze (4x100m medley relay) as a member of the Canadian team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She also won three world championships gold medals while swimming for Canada. (PNA)
Source: Philippines News Agency