PH Curling Team eyes 2026 Winter Olympics

The Philippine National Curling Team, composed of four Filipino-Swiss athletes, is setting its sights on competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. The team, led by Filipino-Swiss entrepreneur and economist Alan Frei, is determined to prove that a tropical country can excel in the ice sport of curling.

The team recently secured a silver medal in the B-Division of the Pan Continental Curling Championships in Kelowna, Canada, in 2023. They aim to repeat this achievement in Alberta this October, hoping to advance to the A-Division in the 2025 championships. The top two teams from this division will earn guaranteed spots in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Frei, who joined the team in March 2023, a year after selling his Swiss e-commerce business to pursue his Olympic dream, is joined by teammates Christian Haller, a two-time world junior championship medallist, and brothers Marc and Enrico Pfister, who previously competed for Switzerland in world curling championships. All four are eligible to represent the Philippines through their Filipino mothers.

“The sport of curling is like playing chess on ice. It’s a combination of strategy and physical skill. We have a huge advantage in the strategy part because we have the experience of the three guys who have played on the world stage,” Frei said.

To further hone their skills, the team will compete in the Baden Masters in Switzerland this August, where they will face the world’s No. 1 team, Italy, in their first game. Currently ranked 51st in the World Curling Federation’s men’s rankings, the team sees this as an opportunity to gauge their standing against top competitors.

Frei emphasized the team’s goal to inspire more Filipinos to become aware of and support their endeavors. Despite currently shouldering all their expenses, the team hopes to achieve significant success before seeking financial support from the Philippine Olympic Committee and potential sponsors.

The team also aims to secure a podium finish against top Asian teams like China and Korea in the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin to gain national recognition.

“The curling team aspires to pave the way for future curling athletes from the country in their bid for the Olympics. We are trying to foster Filipino talent more and more just by being a role model and having this super ambitious goal,” Frei said.

Plans are underway for the team, with the help of the POC and national sports associations, to hold exhibition tournaments and provide training for aspiring Filipino curlers. The Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines aims to increase its membership from 50 to 100 this year.

Drawing inspiration from the Jamaican Bobsled Team’s underdog story at the 1988 Winter Olympics, Frei expressed the team’s single-minded focus: “We don’t have a plan B. We have only one plan and that is to go to the Olympics.”