The Philippine National Curling Team, composed of Fil-Swiss curlers, is aiming to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The team bagged a silver medal in the B-Division of the Pan Continental Curling Championships in 2023 and is aiming for a promotion to the A-Division this year.
The team is composed of Alan Frei, Christian Haller, and brothers Marc and Enrico Pfister. All Swiss-born, they are eligible to represent the Philippines because of their Filipino mothers.
Despite the challenges of playing a winter sport in a tropical country, the team is determined to succeed. They are currently training for upcoming tournaments and looking to gain recognition from Filipinos worldwide.
To further hone their skills, the National Men’s Curling Team will compete in an off-season tournament this August, the Baden Master’s in Switzerland, where they will face World’s No. 1 Italy in their first game.
The Swiss-Filipino team hopes that more Filipinos can become aware of their goals and what they’ve been doing so they can be inspired even more.
The curling team shoulders all their expenses at present, citing their need to first achieve “success” before asking for financial support from the POC and other possible sponsors.
The Swiss-Filipino athletes are also eyeing a podium finish against top Asian countries like China and Korea in the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin to gain national recognition.
