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Curling
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| Photo by World Curling Federation |
Wheelchair curling made its debut at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Torino as a medal event after its success at the World Championships in January 2002 in Scotland.
Competition takes place between two competitors from each of two teams. Stones are “thrown” by hand, or by the use of a “stick” towards a target at the opposite end of the ice. The object of the game is similar to that of boccia in that the goal is to get a team’s stones as close to the center of the target (the “house”) as possible. Six ends are played with a possible extra end if the teams are tied after six. There is no sweeping, however, and only competitors in wheelchairs are allowed to compete. Rules for the 2002 World Championships required that each team include one female and one tetraplegic (quadriplegic) player on each team. Paralympic wheelchair curling competition is open to male and female athletes in the categories for amputees, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke and Les autres. For additional information on eligibility, click on the Classification link on the left side of this page.
For more information on wheelchair curling, visit USA Curling's website by clicking here.
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