4 weeks ago
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Joey Villar - The Philippine Star
February 16, 2025 | 12:00am
The Philippine men’s curling team proudly wear their hard-earned gold medal during the awarding rites of the event in the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin China Friday.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine men’s curling team of Marc and Enrico Pfister, Christian Haller, Alan Frei and Benjo Delarmente will receive P2 million in cash incentives from the government for their historic win in the just concluded Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China.
The incentives will come from the expanded National Athletes and Coaches Incentives Act.
And there is a chance, the victorious curlers would receive more, delivering the country’s first medal in the quadrennial event and becoming the first team from Southeast Asia to win the gold.
What made it more gigantic was the fact that they put a tiny, tropical country in the map of the event that is traditionally dominated by nations with winter seasons.
“The historic victory of the country in men’s curling marks a significant milestone in the growing dynamics of Philippine sports,” said Philippine Sports Commission chair Richard Bachmann. “We strongly believe that this achievement is just the beginning of our historic rise on ice for the Philippines.”
The victorious curlers, accompanied by national team chef-de-mission Richard Lim Curling Pilipinas secretary-general Jarryd Bello, were scheduled to arrive in Manila last night.
From the miracle on ice in Harbin, the team is eyeing more glory in the biggest of stages – the World Cup and Winter Olympics.
The quintet is now focused on preparing for Division A of the Pan-Continental Curling Championships set in November for a crack at a World Cup seat next year and a couple of qualifying tournaments in October and December for a precious spot in the Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy also in 2026.
And they have high hopes their magnificence in Harbin would spur more spectacular efforts ahead.
