2 days Ago
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine men’s curling team was welcomed with a fitting recognition and incentives after bagging the historic gold medal in the Ninth Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China last week. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) ensured that the historic achievement of the men’s curling team did not go unrecognized, rewarding each member with cash incentives before their flight back to Switzerland on Monday. POC President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino personally welcomed and honored the team during a pre-flight luncheon at the New World Hotel in Makati City.
READ: PHL curlers make history with first Asian Winter Games gold Each of the curling players composed of Marc Pfister, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister, and Alen Frei received $5,000 from the POC Executive Board as a token of appreciation. If converted, each curler received P290,842 in today’s foreign currency exchange. READ: Curling team gets PSC promise for Olympic qualifiers funding “The incentive may not fully reflect their effort, dedication, and even the personal expenses they incurred, but it is our way of expressing gratitude for their incredible achievement,” Tolentino said.
Besides the warm welcome and incentives, they were also hosted to a stay at the Knights Templar Hotel in Tagaytay City. What made their gold medal win more special was that this Switzerland-based team spent personal funds to compete in international tournament held before the Asian Winter Games. They were later on recognized as the official NSA for curling by the POC.
“It’s no small feat to finance your own participation in a high-caliber sport like curling,” Tolentino said. “Their dedication is remarkable, and we wanted to show them that their sacrifices are valued,” he added. Tolentino revealed that they are now taking more serious steps to qualify for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
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