World Wheelchair Curling Championship

A world tournament in para sport

The first World Wheelchair Curling Championship took place in 2002 in Sursee, Switzerland. Since then it has been held almost every year. Teams consist of four players, with women and men playing together. The rules require a team to have players of both sexes on the ice.

Wheelchair curling: the rules

Wheelchair curling differs from standing curling in a few respects:

• Stones are delivered from a stationary wheelchair, often using a delivery stick whose end hooks onto the stone's handle.
• There is no sweeping. Exact weight and the right line are all the more important.
• A teammate holds the wheelchair steady during delivery so that it does not roll away.
• As a rule, eight ends are played.

The other rules, such as scoring in the house, are the same as in standard curling.

Format

The wheelchair world championship follows the proven pattern: all teams play each other in a preliminary round, then playoff games decide the medals. The weakest teams drop to the B world championship, from which the best are promoted again. This keeps the field open to new nations.

Paralympics

Wheelchair curling has been Paralympic since the 2006 Winter Games in Turin. The world championship results of the preceding years decide the starting places. Successful nations include China, Canada, Norway, Sweden and South Korea.

Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Wheelchair curling is practised in clubs and performance groups in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The sport is very accessible for beginners because no special equipment is needed apart from the delivery stick. Anyone interested can find contacts via curling clubs and disability sports associations. Another para ice sport is para ice hockey.

Classification

Eligible players have an impairment of the lower limbs, use a wheelchair in everyday life or have severely restricted walking ability. The exact criteria are set by World Curling in consultation with the International Paralympic Committee.

Tactics without sweeping

Because there is no sweeping, a stone cannot be corrected after delivery. Every throw has to be right in weight and line. Teams therefore often play a little safer than in standing curling and rely on precise takeouts.

Paralympic champions

Canada won gold at each of the first three Paralympic tournaments in 2006, 2010 and 2014. In Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022, China won, having risen to the top of the world in a short time. Norway, Sweden and South Korea have also won Paralympic medals.

First world championship in Switzerland

It is no coincidence that the first world championship took place in Sursee in 2002: Switzerland was one of the pioneers of wheelchair curling in Europe. Together with Scotland and Canada, Swiss pioneers drove the development of the rules before the sport became Paralympic.

Germany

In Germany, wheelchair curling is organised within the German Wheelchair Sports Association. The national team trains at curling venues in Bavaria, among others, and takes part regularly in world and qualification tournaments.

Delivery stick and technique

The delivery stick is a long pole with an attachment that grips the stone's handle. The player uses it to push the stone off from the wheelchair and releases it with a twist so that it curls. The technique demands a lot of feel in the arm and a steady seating position. Some players deliver the stone by hand.

Spectators experience a calm, highly focused game in which every stone counts.