Sweeping change puts Frei's Olympic dream in sight

Despite being a total rookie on the ice, Frei — a successful entrepreneur who studied finance and sinology at the University of Zurich and China's Nanjing University before co-founding the multi-million-dollar business Amorana.ch, an online sex toy shop — took charge of the team's social networking and business development, and even sold his company to sponsor the team.

Soon, the first Philippines men's curling team was officially established.

"I'm very happy to be in Harbin where everything is well-organized," said Frei.

"I was a businessman for 25 years and now I'm in sports.

"Running a business means dealing with emails every day. In business, I know what I'm doing.

"Here, I'm a beginner, a nobody. I feel nervous on the ice, and everybody is looking at you; it's very exciting for me," he added.

"It's so nice being on the team. Now we are really close friends. Without them, I won't have a chance," said Frei, adding that skipper Marc is the boss on the ice, while he is the boss off it.

The quartet, all born to Filipino mothers, communicate in Swiss or German, none of them speak any Filipino language.

However, bringing glory to their mothers' homeland in international sporting events gives them a sense of pride.

"That makes me really proud," said Marc, 33.

"In the Philippines, most people don't know much about curling, but they cheer for us, supporting us.

"It's really cool," he added.

He started curling at the age of six at his parents' request, although personally, he would have preferred tennis, football, or hockey.

However, as he honed his curling skills, he started to enjoy the sport more and more.

"We can play with friends and family members, traveling the whole world," he said, adding that his family would curl together twice a week.

When asked about the chemistry within this unconventional quartet, he answered: "Dynamic, fun, and pleasant."

That chemistry has clearly been working well for the quartet, as it dispatched the Japanese team 10-4 on Thursday to set up a semifinal clash with the host, China, later that evening.

Regardless of the outcome, it's all positive for Frei, who, thanks to his complete lifestyle shift, has successfully lost 27 kg, and now appears much healthier.

"I still need to lose another eight kilograms," he said.

Though, he probably wouldn't mind the extra weight of a medal hanging around his neck.