The Philippines will bring over 20 athletes to the 9th Asian Winter Games, which will take place in the Chinese winter resort city of Harbin from February 7 to 14.
Their goal is to prepare for a potential medal in the 2026 Winter Olympics after taking home three gold medals from the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“We’ve already accomplished the dream in the Summer Olympics – three gold medals in consecutive games. And that dream we also want to achieve in the Winter Olympics,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.
The biggest team assembled
Although precise numbers about the number of Filipino competitors in the first eight Asian Winter Games are unavailable, Tolentino thought that the Harbin team was the largest ever.
Ten athletes—Marc Angelo Pfister, Enrico Gabriel Pfister, Christian Patrick Haller, Alan Beat Frei, Jessica Pfister, Benjo Delarmente, Kathleen Dubberstein, Leilani Dubberstein, Sheila Mariano, and Anne Marie Bonache—will compete in curling, one of the most popular winter sports in Harbin.
Other members of Team Philippines include Adrian Tongco in snowboarding, Francis Ceccarelli and Talullah Proulx in Alpine skiing, Laetaz Amihan Rabe in freestyle skiing, Paolo Borromeo, Aleksandr Korovin, Cathryn Limketkai, Isabella Marie Gamez, and Sofia Lexi Jacqueline Frank in figure skating, Peter Joseph Groseclose in short track speed skating, and Adrian Tongco in snowboarding.
What will happen in Harbin
Harbin, which earlier served as the 1996 host, will hold 64 events in total.
Throughout the games, Japan has been the most dominant team, followed by China and Kazakhstan.
The 25th Winter Olympics will take place in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from February 6–22, 2026.
