Wheelchair Curling

Wheelchair curling is a relatively new sport, making its Paralympic debut at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games. The first World Wheelchair Curling Championships were held in Switzerland in 2002.

Wheelchair curling consists of a single tournament, with each team comprised of both male and female athletes.

Two teams play against each other, taking turns pushing 19.1 kilogram stones down a sheet of ice towards a series of concentric rings or circles. The object is to get the stones as close to the centre of the rings as possible.

A game consists of six “ends” (similar to innings in baseball). During each end, each four-person team “throws” (in fact, slides along the ice) eight stones – two stones per person and 16 all together. The stones must be thrown while the player’s wheelchair is stationary. Players may use their hands to throw the stone or an extender cue that can be attached to the handle of the stone to push it along the ice. The absence of sweeping – the main difference from Olympic curling – makes the strategy and finesse of each throw all the more important.

The team with the most points – with more stones closer to the centre of the rings – at the conclusion of six ends, is the winner.

For more information on wheelchair curling, please visit the IPC's website.