The road to the Olympic Games is rarely smooth, and for the Filipino men’s curling team, this journey is filled with unexpected twists and turns. This week, eight men’s and eight women’s teams are competing for the final two spots in the 2026 Milan Olympics at the Olympic Qualification event held at the Kelowna Curling Club in British Columbia, Canada.
Among the competitors, the Filipino team stands out not just for their tropical origins but for their remarkable story that echoes the spirit of “Cool Runnings” and “Eddie the Eagle.” Their quest is a blend of determination, unlikely partnerships, and a sprinkle of magic that could make them one of the most captivating stories of the upcoming Olympics.
A Journey of Unlikely Beginnings
The presence of the Filipino curling team in Kelowna is as surprising as it is inspiring. Historically, the Philippines has had only six Winter Olympians, with the first being cousins Juan Cipriano and Ben Nanasca, who competed in alpine skiing at the 1972 Nagano Games. Now, the curling team is on the brink of joining this exclusive group.
The team’s journey began with Swiss businessman Alan Frei, who, in 2022, decided to transform his life through sport after being advised to address his weight issues. “I was a 40-year-old overweight guy who had very bad physical health,” Frei told Olympics.com. His ambitious goal was to transition “from obese to the Olympics.”
“I went through all the original regulations and … pretty quickly, we were like, ‘OK, there is zero chance of making it for Switzerland either in the Summer or the Winter Olympics. But my mom is Filipino,'” Frei explained.
After a brief stint in cross-country skiing, Frei found his way to curling when Christian Haller, a two-time world junior curling champion with Filipino heritage, reached out. The initial training sessions were challenging, with Frei struggling to find his footing on the ice. However, his determination to improve was unwavering.
The Heart of the Team: A Cancer Survivor’s Comeback
If Frei’s story is the Eddie the Eagle segment, the heartwarming magic comes from Marc Pfister, the elder of the two Pfister brothers on the team. Marc, who began curling at age six in Switzerland, faced a life-altering challenge when he was diagnosed with cancer shortly after narrowly missing qualification for the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
“I had to stop for, I think, six months with curling, because it wasn’t possible with the operation and the chemo,” Pfister shared. “There was a point I thought about stopping with curling because the dream is over, the Olympics are gone.”
Despite the setback, Marc returned to the sport, now representing the Philippines, and his Olympic dream remains alive. By October 2023, just four months after their first training session and the establishment of Curling Pilipinas, the team finished second in their debut tournament, despite Frei’s occasional slips on the ice.
On the Brink of Olympic History
The Filipino team has defied expectations, finishing second in the B-Division of the Pan Continental championships in Kelowna and later winning the tournament to secure promotion to the A-Division. Their victory at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, earlier this year further cemented their status as serious contenders.
“I completely understand that people are critical about me and I feel kind of guilty, to be honest, because other people put in a lot of years into that and I get the recognition after one and a half years,” Frei said. “[But] this is the beauty of sports. It’s not me buying a ticket to go to the Olympics, it’s all about the hard work I put in. It’s all about the team we are building.”
As they prepare for the final qualification event in Kelowna, the Filipino curling team is poised to make history. Their journey from obscurity to the cusp of the Olympics is a testament to resilience and the transformative power of sport. Whether they succeed in securing a spot in Milan remains to be seen, but their story has already captured the hearts of many.
With each stone they glide across the ice, the Filipino team not only aims for Olympic glory but also inspires a new generation of athletes from non-traditional winter sports nations to dream big and defy the odds.
