Curling

In curling two teams take turns sliding 20-kilogram granite stones along a sheet of ice towards a circular target called the house; teammates sweep the ice ahead of the stone to change its path and speed. Stones closest to the centre score. Because of its tactical depth it is called "chess on ice".

History

Curling was born on the frozen lochs of sixteenth-century Scotland. The World Curling Federation was founded in 1966. Curling was played at the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and has been a permanent Olympic sport since 1998; mixed doubles was added in 2018.

Major competitions

The Olympic Games, the men's, women's and mixed doubles World Championships, and the European and Pan Continental Championships.

Curling in the Turkic world

Hungary won its first world curling title in mixed doubles in 2013, beating Sweden in the final. In Türkiye a dedicated curling hall was built in Erzurum for the 2011 Winter Universiade and is now the country's curling centre; Turkish teams compete at the European Championships. Kazakhstan also has a curling federation.