The Philippine curling team bolstered its ambitious bid of qualifying for the 2026 Winter Olympics after getting a promotion to the A Division following its victory in the Pan-Continental Curling Championships B Division in Canada recently.

The Nationals defeated Kazakhstan in the finals to become the lone undefeated team after 12 games.

Banner by Christian Haller (vice), Enrico Pfister (second), Marc Pfister (skip), and Alan Frei (lead), the team edged strong rivals such as Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Puerto Rico in the preliminaries, before outplaying Hong Kong in the semifinals.

“This promotion to the A Division is an incredible achievement and the result of tireless work. We have grown as a team and proven that we can deliver under pressure,” said team skip Marc Pfister.

“Now we are looking forward to the next challenge, playing against the best teams in the world and tackling the qualification for the Olympics,” he added.

With their A Division promotion, the Nationals are expected to face more competitive teams in future tournaments that include two pre-qualifying events for the Winter Games set in Italy.

“This last year has been an intense learning process for all of us – from the first time on the ice to this decisive moment here at the Pan Continentals,” said Frei.

“All the training, passion and determination paid off. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Olympic qualifiers,” he added.