Where was curling invented, when did it join the Winter Olympics and how long is a curling rink?
Curling has, once again, proved to be incredibly popular at the Winter Olympics, with the nation and world gripped by the action on the rink in Pyeongchang.
Although an awful lot of people like watching it every four years, not many follow the sport when the Olympics aren’t on, so there a few questions do arise.
It is a unique activity, with plenty of curious quirks to it, so it is no surprise that people have a few queries.
Hopefully we can answer some of your questions below.
Where was curling invented?
Curling originates in Scotland and dates all the way back to the early 16th century, making it one of the oldest team sports on the planet.
The earliest-known curling stones date back to 1511 and came from Stirling and Perth in Scotland.
Handles were added in the 1600s to the granite stones, which are not exclusively made in two locations – Alisa Craig, an island off Scotland, and the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales.
The first curling club was formed in 1838 – the Grand Caledonian Curling Club, which later became the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in 1843, which standardised the rules of the sport.
When did curling join the Winter Olympics?
Curling was involved in the very first Winter Olympics in 1924 in Chamonix, France.
There was only a men’s tournament back in those days and the first ever gold medal was won by Great Britain, with Sweden taking silver and France bronze.
The sport was then solely used as an exhibition event until 1998 when it returned as a proper medal tournament for both men and women.
2018 saw the introduction of the mixed doubles tournament for the very first time, which was won by Canada.
Canada are the most successful nation in curling history, winning a total of 11 Winter Olympic medals – Great Britain have won four.
How long is a curling rink?
A curling rink is actually called a curling sheet and is 146-150 feet long mad 14.2 – 15.7 feet wide.
The centre of the house (the target for the curling stones) is 16 feet in front of the backboard.
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