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By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

curl runnings

Filipino curling team competing in Lacombe with Olympic dreams at stake

Oct 31, 2024 | 11:28 AM

In Lacombe, Alberta, this week, there’s something happening that may sound like it’s straight out of a movie — and that’s probably because it pretty much is.

Interestingly, the Filipino curling team is indeed having their journey at the Pan Continental Curling Championships filmed for a documentary.

Through this tournament and others, the team hopes to ultimately, and perhaps improbably, qualify for the 2026 Olympics in Italy. The nation is currently ranked 51st in the world on the men’s side.

A few years ago, Alan Frei, a successful Swiss-Filipino entrepreneur, decided that career wasn’t enough; as he proudly notes, he proceeded to drop 44 pounds, and founded the Philippines curling team with three other Swiss-Filipino athletes.

The team is currently in curling’s ‘B’ Division, and must find success to advance to the ‘A’ Division, where top countries like Canada and Sweden compete.

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Through the tournament’s first few days, the squad has eight wins and zero losses, with resounding 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) and Kenya (16-0).

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“We’re documenting everything, and my goal would be to put that documentary on a streaming platform like Netflix or Disney+ to create this awareness,” says Frei of the documentary, entitled Long Shot.

“Nothing makes me prouder than putting on our uniform and getting on the ice for the Philippines. Every time I wear it during training, I am very, very happy. I’m learning the national anthem, and it’s a daily reminder of how proud I am to represent my mother’s homeland.”

Frei is joined in Lacombe by Christian Haller, Marc Pfister, Enrico Pfister and Benjo Delarmente. Haller has 23 years of curling experience, the Pfister brothers have both competed in world championships, and Delarmente is the president of the Filipino Curling Association who steps in to compete when necessary.

If the team wins the ‘B’ Division tournament in Lacombe, they will vie for a top-two spot at an upcoming pre-qualifier, then try to finish in the top two at the final Olympics qualification event.

They finished second in the ‘B’ Division of this same tournament in 2023, and earned first place at the 2024 Fulehung tournament in Thun, Switzerland.

The Pan Continental Curling Championships in Lacombe runs through Nov. 2.

As of the morning of Oct. 31, Team Philippines (8-0) has qualified for the playoffs, with matches remaining against Hong Kong, China (6-2) and Kazakhstan (7-1).

Semi-final matches take place Nov. 1 at 7 p.m., the bronze medal match is Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. and the gold medal match follows at 2 p.m.