Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called rocks, across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a circular target marked on the ice, where lanes measure 150 X 16.5 feet.
The curler can induce a curved path by causing the stone to slowly turn as it slides, and the path of the rock may be further influenced by two sweepers with brooms who accompany it as it slides down the sheet, using the brooms to alter the state of the ice in front of the stone. Sweeping a rock makes it curl less and decreases friction that slows the rock.
Curling existed in Scotland in the early 16th century records show. Today, the sport is most firmly established in Canada, having been taken there by Scottish settlers.
The curling stone (also sometimes called a rock in North America) is made of granite and is specified by the World Curling Federation, which requires a weight between 38 and 44 pounds.
The first world championship for curling was limited to men and was known as the Scotch Cup, held in Falkirk and Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1959. The first world title was won by the Canadian team from Regina, Saskatchewan.
Curling has been a medal sport in the Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Olympics. It currently includes men’s, women’s and mixed doubles tournaments. The mixed tournament was held for the first time in 2018.
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