World Curling facts for kids
 |
|
| Formation | 1966 (as International Curling Federation) |
|---|---|
| Type | Sports federation |
| Headquarters | Perth, Scotland, United Kingdom |
|
Membership
|
73 member associations |
|
Official language
|
English |
| Beau Welling | |
|
Staff
|
20 |
| Website | worldcurling.org |
World Curling is the main group that leads the sport of curling around the world. It used to be called the World Curling Federation (WCF) and before that, the International Curling Federation (ICF). Its offices are in Perth, Scotland.
The group started in 1966 as the International Curling Federation. This happened after the Scotch Cup championships, which were popular curling games between Canada and Scotland. The name changed to WCF in 1990 and then to World Curling in 2024. This change happened when curling was trying to become an Olympic sport.
World Curling helps organize 15 big curling events around the world. It is run by a team of leaders called the Board of Directors, which includes a president, three vice-presidents (one for each region: Americas, Europe, and Pacific-Asia), and six other directors. These leaders are chosen by the member countries. They also have 20 full-time staff members who help with the work.
There are 73 countries that are members of World Curling. The newest members in 2023 were Pakistan, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. In March 2022, World Curling stopped the Russian Curling Federation from competing because of the conflict in Ukraine.
Contents
What World Curling Does
World Curling's main goal is to lead the global curling community. They want to help the sport grow, share its culture, and promote its values.
Here are the main things World Curling aims to do:
- To speak for curling around the world.
- To help the sport grow in new places.
- To encourage teamwork and understanding among all member countries.
- To bring curlers from all over the world together.
- To protect and improve the sport of curling.
- To organize world curling competitions.
- To create the rules for curling competitions around the world.
Member Countries
Many countries are members of World Curling. Each country has its own curling association that works with World Curling.
| Year Joined | Name of Association | Country | World Curling Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Afghanistan Curling Federation |  Afghanistan |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1991 | Andorra Curling Association |  Andorra |
Europe |
| 1986 | Australian Curling Federation |  Australia |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1982 | Österreichischer Curling Verband |  Austria |
Europe |
| 1997 | Belarusian Curling Association |  Belarus |
Europe |
| 2005 | Belgian Curling Association |  Belgium |
Europe |
| 2020 | Bolivian Curling Federation |  Bolivia |
Americas |
| 2022 | Bosnia and Herzegovina Curling Association |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Europe |
| 1998 | Brazilian Ice Sports Federation |  Brazil |
Americas |
| 2013 | Bulgarian Curling Federation |  Bulgaria |
Europe |
| 1966 | Curling Canada |  Canada |
Americas |
| 2002 | Chinese Curling Association |  China |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1998 | Chinese Taipei Curling Federation |  Chinese Taipei |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2004 | Croatian Curling Association |  Croatia |
Europe |
| 1990 | Czech Curling Association |  Czechia |
Europe |
| 1971 | Danish Curling Association |  Denmark |
Europe |
| 2019 | Dominican Republic winter sports federation |  Dominican Republic |
Americas |
| 1971 | English Curling Association |  England |
Europe |
| 2003 | Estonian Curling Association |  Estonia |
Europe |
| 1979 | Finnish Curling Association |  Finland |
Europe |
| 1966 | French Ice Sports Federation |  France |
Europe |
| 2013 | Georgian Curling Federation |  Georgia |
Europe |
| 1967 | Deutscher Curling-Verband |  Germany |
Europe |
| 2003 | Hellenic Curling Association |  Greece |
Europe |
| 2016 | Guyana Curling Federation |  Guyana |
Americas |
| 2014 | Hong Kong Curling Association |  Hong Kong, China |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1989 | Hungarian Curling Federation |  Hungary |
Europe |
| 1991 | Icelandic Sport Federation |  Iceland |
Europe |
| 2019 | Curling Federation of India |  India |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2003 | Irish Curling Association |  Ireland |
Europe |
| 2013 | Israel Curling Federation |  Israel |
Europe |
| 1972 | Italian Ice Sports Federation |  Italy |
Europe |
| 2022 | Curling Jamaica |  Jamaica |
Americas |
| 1985 | Japan Curling Association |  Japan |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2003 | Kazakhstan Curling Association |  Kazakhstan |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2021 | Kenya Curling Federation |  Kenya |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1994 | Korean Curling Association |  Korea |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2012 | Kosovo Curling Federation |  Kosovo |
Europe |
| 2019 | Kuwait Winter Games Club |  Kuwait |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2017 | Curling Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic |  Kyrgyzstan |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2001 | Latvian Curling Association |  Latvia |
Europe |
| 1991 | Liechtenstein Curling Association |  Liechtenstein |
Europe |
| 2003 | Lithuanian Curling Association |  Lithuania |
Europe |
| 1976 | Luxembourg Curling Association |  Luxembourg |
Europe |
| 2016 | Federacion Mexicana de Curling |  Mexico |
Americas |
| 2012 | Mongolian Curling Federation |  Mongolia |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1975 | Netherlands Curling Association |  Netherlands |
Europe |
| 1991 | New Zealand Curling Association |  New Zealand |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2018 | Nigeria Curling Federation |  Nigeria |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1966 | Norwegian Curling Association |  Norway |
Europe |
| 2023 | Pakistan Curling Federation |  Pakistan |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2023 | Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines |  Philippines |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2022 | Polish Curling Clubs Federation |  Poland |
Europe |
| 2017 | Winter Sports Federation of Portugal |  Portugal |
Europe |
| 2023 | Puerto Rico |  Puerto Rico |
Americas |
| 2014 | Qatar Curling Federation |  Qatar |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2010 | Romanian Curling Federation |  Romania |
Europe |
| 1992 | Russian Curling Federation |  Russia |
Europe |
| 2017 | Kingdom Curling Association |  Saudi Arabia |
Pacific-Asia |
| 1966 | Royal Caledonian Curling Club |  Scotland |
Europe |
| 2005 | National Curling Association of Serbia |  Serbia |
Europe |
| 2003 | Slovak Curling Association |  Slovakia |
Europe |
| 2010 | Slovenian Curling Association |  Slovenia |
Europe |
| 1999 | Spanish Ice Sports Federation |  Spain |
Europe |
| 1966 | Swedish Curling Association |  Sweden |
Europe |
| 1966 | Swiss Curling Association |  Switzerland |
Europe |
| 2022 | Thai Curling Association |  Thailand |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2009 | Turkish Ice Skating Federation |  Türkiye |
Europe |
| 2020 | Curling Federation of Turkmenistan |  Turkmenistan |
Pacific-Asia |
| 2013 | Ukrainian Curling Federation |  Ukraine |
Europe |
| 1966 | United States Curling Association |  United States of America |
Americas |
| 1991 | US Virgin Islands Curling Association |  U.S. Virgin Islands |
Americas |
| 1982 | Welsh Curling Association |  Wales |
Europe |
Past Member Associations
Some curling associations were members in the past but are not anymore.
| Years | Name | Country | WCF Zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2014 | Armenia Curling Federation |  Armenia |
Europe |
| 2003–2021 | Polish Curling Association | Poland |
Europe |
Leaders of World Curling
_016.jpg)
The people who lead World Curling are part of the executive board. As of September 2022, the leaders are:
- President: Beau Welling (from the United States)
- Vice Presidents:
* Europe: Bent Ånund Ramsfjell (from Norway) * Americas: Graham Prouse (from Canada) * Pacific-Asia: Hugh Millikin (from Australia)
- Board of Directors:
* Helena Lingham (Sweden) * Sergio Mitsuo Vilela (Brazil) * Robin Niven (Scotland) * Toyo Ogawa (Japan)
- Athlete Commission Chair: Jill Officer (Canada)
Former Presidents
Here are the people who have been president of World Curling (and its earlier names) over the years:
| President | Member Association | Years in Office |
|---|---|---|
| Presidents of the ICF (International Curling Federation) | ||
| Major Allan Cameron | Scotland | 1966–1969 |
| Brigadier Colin A. Campbell | Canada | 1969–1979 |
| Sven A. Eklund | Sweden | 1979–1982 |
| G. Clifton Thompson | Canada | 1982–1985 |
| Philip Dawson | Scotland | 1985–1988 |
| Dr. Donald F. Barcome | United States | 1988–1990 |
| Presidents of the WCF (World Curling Federation) | ||
| Günther Hummelt | Austria | 1990–2000 |
| Roy Sinclair | Scotland | 2000–2006 |
| Les Harrison | Canada | 2006–2010 |
| Kate Caithness | Scotland | 2010–2022 |
Curling Competitions
World Curling organizes many exciting curling events around the globe.
| Event | What it's About |
|---|---|
| International Championships | |
| Olympic Winter Games (OWG) | For 10 men's, women's, and mixed doubles teams. |
| Paralympic Winter Games (PWG) | For 12 mixed teams. |
| Youth Olympic Games (YOG) | For 24 mixed teams and 48 mixed doubles teams (young athletes). |
| World Men's Curling Championship (WMCC) | For 13 men's teams. |
| World Women's Curling Championship (WWCC) | For 13 women's teams. |
| World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship (WMDCC) | For 20 mixed doubles teams (one male, one female). |
| World Wheelchair Curling Championship (WWhCC) | For 12 mixed teams, for athletes using wheelchairs. |
| World Junior Curling Championships (WJCC) | For 10 junior men's and 10 junior women's teams (younger players). |
| World Mixed Curling Championship (WMxCC) | Any member country can send one team. |
| World Senior Curling Championships (WSCC) | Any member country can send one men's and one women's team. Players must be at least 50 years old. |
| Qualification Events | |
| Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) | For teams that want to qualify for the Olympic Winter Games. |
| World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event (WMDQE) | For mixed doubles teams trying to get into the World Mixed Doubles Championship. |
| World Wheelchair-B Curling Championship (WWhBCC) | For mixed teams trying to get into the World Wheelchair Curling Championship. |
| World Junior-B Curling Championships (WJBCC) | For junior men's and women's teams trying to get into the World Junior Curling Championships. |
| Regional Championships | |
| European Curling Championships (ECC) | For men's and women's teams from Europe. |
| Pan Continental Curling Championships (PCCC) | For men's and women's teams from the Americas and Pacific-Asia zones (started in 2022-23). |
| Past Events | |
| Curling World Cup | Had three stages and a Grand Final for men's, women's, and mixed doubles teams. |
| Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships (PJCC) | For junior teams from the Pacific zone. It was replaced by the World Junior-B Curling Championships. |
| European Junior Curling Challenge (EJCC) | For junior teams from Europe who hadn't qualified for the WJCC. It was replaced by the World Junior-B Curling Championships. |
| Americas Challenge | For men's and women's teams from the Americas zone. It was replaced by the Pan-Continental Curling Championship. |
| Pacific-Asia Curling Championships (PACC) | For men's and women's teams from the Pacific-Asia zone. It was replaced by the Pan-Continental Curling Championship. |
| World Qualification Event (WQE) | For men's and women's teams trying to get into the World Curling Championships. |
See also
In Spanish: Federación Mundial de Curling para niños
- World Curling Rankings
- WCF Hall of Fame
