Sawt Falasteen - Curl Runnings! Philippines bank on unlikely Winter Olympics berth

Jamaica's bobsleigh team were immortalised in the movie "Cool Runnings" after taking part in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

And the "Curling Pilipinas" could be the next candidates for the Hollywood treatment, should they line up at Milan-Cortina in 2026.

The Swiss-Filipino men's quartet are this week gaining invaluable experience at the Asian Winter Games in China, their biggest stage yet.

Just two years after the launch of the country's curling federation, the men's team -- who were all born in Switzerland to Filipino mothers -- have already secured a place at 2026 Olympic pre-qualifiers later this year.

Unlike their full-time competitors from Asian winter sports powerhouses South Korea, Japan and China, the Philippines team members still work their day jobs.

"We are fully committed, but the money is always tight," said lead Alan Frei. "But it's for the plot, it's for the story, right?"

Frei has spent around 30,000 euros ($31,000) on the team, who were largely self-funded before the Asian Winter Games, according to Philippines curling federation president Benjo Delarmente, who is also the squad's reserve player.

The Philippines are not intimidated going up against the best because of the team's top-tier chemistry, Frei told AFP during practice at the Harbin Pingfang District Curling Arena.

- 'It's always funny' -

"It's just a great team dynamic," said Frei, who describes himself as an "E-commerce entrepreneur" whose online ventures have in the past included a sex toy store.

"We love hanging out with each other. It's always funny, we are cracking jokes. So that's our big advantage."

They also have experience in their ranks.

The other three members -- electrician Enrico Pfister, his brother and construction worker Marc Pfister and banker Christian Haller -- have previously competed for Switzerland in world championships.

A few years ago the trio decided to form a Philippines team, but needed a fourth member.

They contacted rookie curler Frei, 42, who had made it his life goal to become an Olympian and had only taken up the sport after realising he had "zero talent" for skiing.

By October 2023 they were competing and the rest could be history.

- Perfect sport for Filipinos -

With temperatures in host city Harbin struggling to get above freezing it is a far cry from the Philippines, where the mercury regularly hits 30 Celsius (86F) at this time of year.

The Philippines first sent athletes to the Winter Olympics in 1972, but sent a lone skier to the last Games in Beijing in 2022. They have never qualified anyone for a team event.

Delarmente wants to elevate curling in the Philippines and find more talent from people of Filipino heritage around the world.

Curling is the "perfect" sport for Filipinos, he said, likening it to a combination of billiards, bowls and chess on ice.

"We're already having some followers watching our games and messaging us: 'How do we learn curling?' in the Philippines," Delarmente said.

"So we're getting there.

"People are getting to know more and more about curling in the Philippines, especially (now) that we've had so much success.".

Curling fan Jojo Cruz, who grew up in the Philippines but now lives in the United States, booked a trip to Harbin.

"I still can't believe that tropical countries have the opportunity to play in winter or snow sports", Cruz told AFP.

Cruz has lived in the US for about four decades but said he still at times feels like a foreigner there, holding on to his roots in the Philippines.

"I still have that connection, and I don't want to lose that", said Cruz.

But the 61-year-old, who curled for the Philippines at a senior world championship last year, failed to get tickets for the curling competitions, which have room for only around 200 spectators.

But he was happy that the team were competing and said he was enjoying seeing different parts of the frigid city with his wife.

"I told myself, hey, this is a beautiful place. Harbin is nice. It's so cold, but it's fine."

J.Saleh--SF-PST