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| Curling |
Born in Scotland in the middle of the 1500s, curling was played on frozen ponds using stones found at the bottom of channels and lakes. The sport involves sliding large, granite stones down a rink marked out on a sheet of ice, whilst players sweep their path with brushes to allow them to travel more easily. Points are scored by the team getting their stones closer to the centre of the target area “house” than the opposition.
The earliest-known curling stones came from the Scottish regions of Stirling and Perth and date back to 1511. They were natural stones, often taken from river beds where the water had smoothed and rounded them. Unlike their modern counter parts, the stones did not have handles. This is a recent addition, which dates back to the eighteenth century. The key developments in the sport in the 20th century have been the standardisation of the stone and the use of indoor, refrigerated ice facilities. |
| Olympic History |
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The first curling competition at the Winter Olympic Games was held at Chamonix in 1924. After the Lake Placid Games in 1932, curling was dropped as an Olympic sport for the next 50 years, then re-admitted as a demonstration sport at Calgary in 1988. It returned as an official Olympic sport in Nagano in 1998.
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| The Sport |
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Curling is a competition between two teams with four players each, consisting of the lead, the second, the third and the skip (team captain). The game is played on ice, and the two teams take turns pushing a 19.1kg stone towards a series of concentric circles. The object is to place the stone as close as possible to the centre called the ‘tee’. The team with the highest total score wins.
One game consists of ten "ends". A team delivers eight stones - two stones per person, in a set order until all sixteen stones have been delivered. Players sweep the path of the stone as it slides over the ice. The object of sweeping is to create a thin film of moisture between the stone and the ice to act as a lubricant. This makes the stone travel faster and makes it less likely to deviate from a straight line or “curl”.
The curling rink is 42.07m long and 4.28m wide with a target - or house - at either end.
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| The Events |
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Both the men’s and women’s tournaments in the Olympic curling competition consist of 10 teams each competing in a round robin tournament. During the preliminary series, each team plays against all other teams. Based on the results of the round robin, the four best teams advance to the semifinals with the 1st place team playing 4th place and 2nd vs 3rd. The winners of each semifinal play in the gold medal game and the losers play in the bronze medal game.
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| Equipment |
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Two sets of eight stones, differentiated by the colour
of their handles, a push broom made of thick hog or horse hair
bristles, and a fixed foothold called a “hack” are the essential pieces
of equipment for curling. Players also wear special shoes, one of which
has a slippery sole for slide and delivery of the stone, whilst the
other has rubber sole for traction.
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| Australia and Curling |
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Australia has never been represented at the Winter Olympics in the sport of curling, although there is a National Curling Federation.
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Curling Events
Men
Curling
Women
Curling
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