Curling is a winter sport played on ice.
Each curling team has four members.
They take turns sliding round 'stones'.
The target is called a 'house'.
They try to get near to the centre of the ‘house’.
Players use brooms to sweep frost and ice out of the stone's way.
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's like a target and is called the 'house'
A curling stone
The stones slide towards a target. ©iStock
The curling stone is made of granite, 30 centimetres in circumference and weighing about 20 kilograms. It slides on a rim at the bottom of the stone.
Curling is related to bowls, boules and shuffleboard.
How to play curling
Two teams of four players, take turns sliding the heavy, polished granite stones, which are also called rocks, across the ice towards the house, a circular target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones. Points are scored for the stones resting closest to the centre of the house. When both teams have thrown all of their stones the scores are added and the team with the highest score wins.
The starting point is called the 'hack'. As soon as the stone has been sent sliding down the rink, two of the curler's team mates use brooms to sweep the ice ahead of the stone to make it slide faster and straighter. The broom is also used by a curler to clean all frost and ice off the stone before it is sent down the ice.
The leader of the team is called the 'skip' and he or she tells the other players where to aim the stone as well as when and where to sweep.
Curling at the Olympics
Curling has been an official sport in the Winter Olympic Games since the 1998 Winter Olympics. There was competition for both men and women. Mixed doubles was added to the Winter Games in 2018.
Brooms are used to sweep frost away from the stone's path. ©iStock
History
Curling began in Scotland more than 400 years ago which probably makes it the oldest team sport. It is now played both outdoors and on indoor rinks in many countries around the world.
A group of people playing on a frozen lake in Austria ©iStock
Read more about this sport:
http://www.olympic.org/curling
Read about curling stones and facts, watch a video about the skills needed to play
https://easyscienceforkids.com/best-curling-stones-facts-for-kids-video/
Watch a video about an Olympic curling doubles competition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj-U45zUxP4
