Team GB gymnast Jake Jarman says it would be ‘amazing’ to represent the Philippines in the future, though hopes to compete for Great Britain at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Jarman, who claimed bronze in the men’s floor competition, was born in Peterborough to a British father and a Filipina mother and lived in the Philippines for two years between the ages of three and five.
Athletes with dual citizenship are allowed to represent two nations but three years must have passed since that individual most recently competed for their former country.
However, this requirement may be reduced or waived by the IOC Executive Board should an agreement be reached with the relevant National Olympic Committee.
Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Cynthia Carrion, the president of the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP), suggested Jarman had plans to switch allegiances for the LA Games in four years’ time.
‘Next Olympics, he wants to compete for the Philippines,’ Carrion said.
‘So we’ll seek FIG’s permission. I will write a letter and we’ll see if FIG says yes or no.’
Jarman was asked about Carrion’s comments during an interview with members of the Philippine Olympic Committee media – as reported by GMA News Online – and the 22-year-old insisted he had no immediate plans to ditch Team GB.
But Jarman said he could be open to the prospect in the latter years of his career should the rules allow it.
‘For me, competing for the Philippines, it would be amazing, but at the moment, it’s hard for me to make a decision like that,’ Jarman said.
‘I’ve got family back in the UK, but I think for me, if maybe I’m in the end of my career, maybe I’m still at peak performance, who knows, maybe?
‘I definitely would not be closing any doors but I think for the next four years, I’ll still be definitely with UK.’
Over the course of the Games, Jarman has received plenty of support from the Philippines, his mother’s homeland.
In response, Jarman added: ‘I just want to say thank you.
‘To have the support I’m seeing online from the other side of the world is mind-blowing to me.
‘I never thought I’d be in a position like this. I just want to say thank you, it means the world to me.’
A near-speechless Jarman said he ‘couldn’t be happier’ after getting his hands on a bronze medal with an impressive routine on the floor, which scored 14.933.
‘I’m lost for words to be honest. This medal means everything to me,’ he said.
‘I’ve had a lot of people in my life that helped me to get where I am today.
‘I couldn’t do it without the support they gave to me. I hope I made a lot of people proud. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.’
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