MANILA, Philippines – Philippine Olympian Michael Martinez is set to compete in the Hilton HHonors Skate America on October 24-26, the first of six events in the prestigious Grand Prix of world skating competitions.

Martinez is the lone Filipino and Southeast Asian in the International Skate Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating.

He is currently training under first-rate coaches Ilia Kulik, John Nicks, and Scott Wendland.

In Skate America, Martinez will compete against several members of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Figure Skating Team, including Jeremy Abbott and Jason Brown.

The Grand Prix is a series of senior international figure skating competitions in the 2014-2015 season. Medals will be awarded in the disciplines of men’s singles, ladies’ singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.

Skaters will earn points based on their placement at each event, and the top six in each discipline will qualify to compete at the Grand Prix Finals, to be held in Barcelona, Spain.

Other events in the Grand Prix series include Skate Canada (October 31 to November 2), the LEXUS Cup of China (November 7-9); Rostelcom Cup of Russia (November 14-16); Trophee Eric Bompard in France (November 21-23); and NHK Trophy in Japan (November 28-30).

Skaters earn points throughout the Grand Prix series to qualify for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The 2014 Grand Prix Final will be held on December 11-14 in Spain.