Plans for the Olympic Games: former sex toy boss becomes a curler – but not for Switzerland!

Frei had known for a long time that he wanted to be an Olympian. The entrepreneur, who had failed with fifty other business ideas before the success of Amorana, was already considering this in an interview with “Handelszeitung” in October 2021. His shot at the time: “Of course I know: in 2026 I will be 44 years old and lower than any 22-year-old athlete. But there are exotic rules. There is no participant limit per country in various sports.»

Frei’s sports research at the time revealed: “There is no finite number for snow sledding, cross-country skiing, biathlon, and tobogganing. For example, 25 starting places are planned in the skeleton, the best countries only take three. There is no limit to the number of nations that can join.”

Hobby Olympians as stars

Stop Frei’s sport now. A dog not on the official longlist at the end of 2021: After a long consideration, one of the most colorful dogs on the Swiss startup scene has decided to go curling. The fact that Frei is still one of the newbies in this discipline may at first seem like Caribbean sports fans who competed with the first Jamaican bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. It was later featured in the movie “Cool Runnings” by Disney.

Also in 1988, Michael “Eddie” Edwards of Calgary rose to fame. Not because the British ski jumper performed so well. But definitely because he wanted to be an Olympian and smack dab last place as “Eddie the Eagle”. But right in the heart of the audience. Edwards also received movie awards for the biopic “Eddie the Eagle – Everything is Possible.”

Alan Frei represents the Philippines

But back to the Swiss Wannabe Olympian Frei. The fact that the entrepreneur is still seen as a curling novice need not be an obstacle to the 2026 Olympic Games. First, Frei still has plenty of time to train. More importantly, the Swiss-Filipino dual nationality does not have to compete with the local elite. He will dare to do this not for Switzerland, but for the Philippines.

That’s with a Swiss-Filipino team with an impressive track record. Bern curling players Marc and Enrico Pfister have World Cup experience in their discipline, and Christian Haller also has over 25 years of active curling knowledge on ice.

It feels like half of Switzerland is idle on these crazy hot July days, while Frei is working on his fighting weight. He recently shared with his followers in his newsletter: “My health has improved and I’ve lost eleven kilos since the beginning of the year.”