Explainer | Winter Olympics: what is curling? How ‘chess on ice’ works, where it came from, and why there’s so much sweeping
- Everybody’s secret favourite winter sport is set to bemuse and thrill us in equal measure once again
- Here’s everything thing you need to know about curling, which kicks off Beijing 2022 on Wednesday
The natural reaction of the general public to watching the Olympic sport of curling is usually one of confusion and amusement, as they watch athletes slowly slide across the ice while frantically sweeping in front of a stone.
Of course, first glances can be deceiving, and curling is much more complex and tense than many would imagine, with the sport sometimes referred to as “chess on ice” because of the amount of strategy involved.
With curling set to be the first event on show at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, the Post breaks down how it all works.
How does curling work?
Right, first of all, the basics.
Each team takes turns sliding a polished granite stone towards the centre of a target – or the “house”, which is composed of four concentric circles, and is placed on both ends of an ice sheet over 45 metres long with a maximum of 5 metres in width.
Points are awarded to the team that places their stones closest to the centre of the house, which can also be referred to as the button.
One point is given for the stone closest to the button, while additional points are awarded for each stone nearer to the centre than the opposing team.