Team Leader Frei started curling at the beginning of 2023 after an inspiring weight loss journey led him to the sport.

Looking for motivation to lose weight, the Swiss businessman decided to aim for the Olympics. Realizing that representing a European country at the Summer or Winter Games was likely out of his reach, Frei turned to his Filipino heritage.

Having refused any summer sports, a lawyer suggested Frei try winter sports. cross country skiing.

“I started skiing and shared my Olympic goal with everyone. “Only to find out I was a terrible skier,” Frei wrote. a blog details his journey.

Haller, Switzerland’s junior world curling medalist, eventually caught wind of Frei’s ambition and reached out to the aspiring athlete, sharing that he, Enrico and March had a WhatsApp group with the idea of ​​starting a Philippine Curling team.

Like Haller, the Pfister brothers had many years of international curling experience for Team Switzerland, competing in several World Championships between them. This conversation spurred Frei into action, and just three months later the team met to train for the first time.

Once the chemistry was established, the group had to go through a series of official procedures, including registering with the World Curling Federation and the Philippine Curling Winter Sports Association. In October 2023, the group reached its first major international tournament: the Pan Continental Championship (PCCC) in Kelowna, Canada.

Despite facing stiff competition, Filipinos stood tall; They lost to the People’s Republic of China 4-8 in the final.

Persistence pays off for Filipino curlers

Although the loss meant a postponement of promotion to the A Division, it was still an excellent start for the newcomers.

Although the Winter Olympics are still some way off on the horizon, the path to qualification is already looking pretty good for curlers, including Team Philippines.

Most importantly, the group has now taken a significant step to ensure they remain with the chance of getting a quota.

Returning to the PCCC a year after their debut, Curling Pilipinas was at a critical juncture. The next stage of the qualification required them to be in Division A, meaning promotion from Division B last week was non-negotiable.

Fueled by their hunger to go where no Filipino team had gone before, the quartet completed the tournament with flying colors, defeating Kazakhstan in the final and placing first with a perfect record.