MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine curling team moved a step closer to realizing its dream of competing in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.
Captained by Marc Pfister, the Filipinos recently completed a sweep of the Pan-Continental Curling Championships in Lancombe, Canada, capped by a 9-3 victory over Kazakhstan in the finale to move up to Division A.
With the promotion, Team Philippines gets a chance to face the best curling teams in the world in major tournaments, including the Olympic pre-qualifiers.
Curling is a sport played on ice, where players slide heavy granite stones toward a target.
“This promotion to the A Division is an incredible achievement and the result of tireless work,” said Pfister, who leads the Filipino-Swiss group with his strategic skill.
“We have grown as a team and proven that we can deliver under pressure. Now we are looking forward to the next challenge, playing against the best teams in the world and tackling the qualification for the Olympics.”
Christian Haller (vice), Enrico Pfister (second), and Alan Frei (lead) round out the Philippine team that completed a 12-game tournament sweep.
Before disposing of Kazakhstan in the title match, the Filipinos downed Hong Kong, 6-1, in the knockout semifinal.
“This success is proof of what can be achieved when you work as a team and aim for the impossible,” said Haller, who has been playing the sport for 26 years.
“The Philippines are united behind us — and we’ve also received an incredible amount of support from Switzerland — and that’s a huge motivation for us as we face the next challenges.”
In the preliminary round, the Philippines pulled off victories over Saudi Arabia (15-0), India (10-2), Nigeria (18-2), Qatar (12-1), Puerto Rico (11-2), Brazil (8-1), Jamaica (7-5), Kenya (16-0), Hong Kong (9-4), and Kazakhstan (6-5).
“This is incredible, I’m overwhelmed by what we’ve achieved here,” said Frei.
“This last year has been an intense learning process for all of us — from the first time on the ice to this decisive moment here at the Pan Continentals. [The] training, passion and determination paid off. I’m really looking forward to the upcoming Olympic qualifiers.”
The Philippine curling team returns to action in the Asian Winter Games on February 7-14, 2025 in Harbin, China. – Rappler.com