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Russian tourist brings paddle wherever he goes
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Posted on May 26 2008
Vladimir Kovalevskiy is vacationing with his wife from Russia but while other tourists are content with just sightseeing, the 55-year-old has incorporated his favorite sport in his Saipan sojourn.
The past couple of weeks, Kovalevskiy has been playing table tennis three to four hours a day against anyone who would challenge him at the Hyatt Regency Saipan where he and his wife are staying.
Marianas Amateur Table Tennis Association member and local champion Budhi Gurung is a frequent sparing mate and he said Kovalevskiy is a good player who produces a strong topspin from his forehand.
Last Saturday, Gurung brought Kovalevskiy to MATTA’s training facility at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium multi-purpose room and it was a chance for the Russian to strut his ping-pong skills in front of other MATTA members.
In an interview, Kovalevskiy said he is a member of the Club Start table tennis organization in Russia’s Altaiskiy region.
He said for the past five years, he has been under the guidance of former champion, Boris Verbizkiy, who at 69 years old is very much active in the sport.
Kovalevskiy said his club practices from 7:30pm to 9:30pm, four to five days a week. He added that they have regular tournaments for veteran ping-pong players divided into age groups—40 to 50 or 50 to 60.
On a more personal side, Kovalevskiy is a businessman and his only son is now 29 years old. He said he loves to travel two to three times a year with his wife and that he never forgets to bring his ping-pong paddle with him when he travels, “so that I could find friends to play with me and spend the time with besides the scheduled sightseeing.”
Asked what countries he visited were the most memorable, Kovalevskiy volunteered five—Thailand, Italy, Spain, Dubai, and Turkey.
He said he is very much impressed about his Saipan trip, especially due to its azure waters and powder white beaches, and is considering to make more travel plans to the CNMI in the future.
Kovalevskiy said if his busy schedule permits, he would like to come back in October this year to watch the CNMI’s 10th Goodwill Table Tennis Tournament where Japan is joining for the first time along with mainstays Guam, Tinian, and Saipan.
