Former South Korean Ice Dancer Lim Hae-na to Compete for Canada with New Partner

Lim Hae-na, a former South Korean national ice dance figure skater who competed in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, will compete under the Canadian flag starting this new season.

In an interview with Golden Skate on July 10, Lim said, "The decision to switch from representing Korea to Canada was not easy," adding, "Korea felt like a second home to me, and I am grateful for the support from the Korea Skating Union and the fans."

She continued, "However, I felt that representing Canada with my new partner, Zachary Lagha, was the right choice."

"Although I will not be able to compete in international events for the time being, I am preparing for the Canadian Championships with the same level of importance as an international competition," she said. "In the long term, I want to take it step by step with the goal of competing in the World Championships and the Olympics."

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Lim holds dual citizenship in South Korea and Canada and had been competing as a South Korean national team member with her partner, Quan Ye, a Chinese-Canadian, until recently.

Supported by the Korea Skating Union, the pair won a bronze medal at the 2021-2022 International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix 1, marking the first time a South Korean ice dance team had reached the podium at a major event. They later made history by winning gold at the 2022-2023 ISU Junior Grand Prix 1, becoming the first South Korean ice dancers to win a title at either the junior or senior level.

Subsequently, Quan obtained South Korean citizenship through special naturalization by the Ministry of Justice to compete in the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, and the two athletes wore the Taegeuk mark to compete on the Olympic stage.

After finishing 22nd out of 23 participating teams at the Olympics, the pair suddenly announced their dissolution.

Lim later formed a new team with Canadian ice dancer Zachary Lagha and announced that she had given up her South Korean national team status to switch to Canada.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Charter, an athlete who changes nationality to compete in the Olympics must wait three years from the date they last represented their previous country in an international competition.

As a result, there are no issues with Lim competing in the 2030 Alps Winter Olympics as a Canadian athlete.

However, there is criticism that the purpose of the special naturalization system is being diluted, as cases of figure ice dancers who obtained South Korean national team status through special naturalization leaving the team after competing in the Olympics continue to occur.

The ice dance pair of Yura Min and Alexander Gamelin, who competed in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, also saw Gamelin obtain South Korean citizenship through special naturalization to compete in the Games, only for the team to disband after the event.

While Min continued her national team career with a new partner, Gamelin no longer competed for South Korea.

Whether Quan will continue to compete for the South Korean national team remains unknown.

However, he was recently seen wearing the South Korean national team uniform while attending a local event in Canada.

Meanwhile, Kwon Min-sol, a promising figure skater in the women's singles category who had raised expectations by reaching the 2023-2024 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, has also switched to Canada.

Skate Canada announced its 2026-2027 national figure skating team roster on July 7, stating, "Kwon Min-sol has joined the Canadian national team for the first time."

(Photo: Captured from Lim Hae-na's social media, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.