To show appreciation for the Philippine men’s curling team for their effort to win the Asian gold, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) handed over cash bonuses to each member of the squad.
POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino had a pre-flight lunch at the New World Hotel in Makati City, where each received $5,000 as an incentive from the POC Executive Board.
“The incentive may not parallel their effort and dedication—and even the expenses they personally incurred—but it’s one small way for the POC to show its gratitude to the team,” Tolentino said.
From Harbin, the team of Marc Pfister, Christian Haller, Enrico Pfister, Alen Frei, alternate and Curling Pilipinas president Benjo Delarmente, and Pfister’s wife Jessica flew in to be briefly honored by the POC, which pampered the winter sports history-making team at the Knights Templar Hotel in Tagaytay City.
Before officially competing under the country’s colors as a fully recognized member of the POC, the Swiss-based team made considerably huge investments for their campaign in international competitions ahead of the Harbin games.
“It’s no joke funding your own participation in international events, specifically a blue-chip sport like curling,” Tolentino said.
As the team and the country savor the successful stint in Harbin, Tolentino said serious steps for the team—and other winter sports athletes—to qualify for next year’s Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are now being undertaken.
“The path to Milano Cortina has become clearer, and on to our goal of a first Winter Olympics medal,” Tolentino said.
The post POC awards cash to gold-winning men’s curling team first appeared on Fastbreak.
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