Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called rocks, across the ice curling sheet toward the house, a circular target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones, with each player throwing two. The purpose is to accumulate the highest score for a game; points are scored for the stones resting closest to the centre of the house at the conclusion of each end, which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones once. A game usually consists of eight or ten ends.
The World Curling Federation (WCF) is the world governing body for curling accreditation, with offices in Perth, Scotland. It was formed out of the International Curling Federation (ICF), when the push for Olympic Winter Sport status was made. The name was changed in 1990.
The World Junior Curling Championships are an annual curling bonspiel featuring the world's best curlers who are 21 years old or younger. The competitions for both men and women occur at the same venue. The men's tournament has occurred since 1975 and the women's since 1988. Since curling became an Olympic sport in 1998, the World Junior Curling Championship of the year preceding the Olympic Games have been held at the site of the curling tournament for the upcoming Games.
The European Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments held in Europe between various European nations. The European Curling Championships are usually held in early to mid December. The tournament also acts as a qualifier for the World Championships, where the top eight nations qualify.
The World Senior Curling Championships is an annual curling tournament featuring curlers from around the world who are at least 50 years old. Matches at the World Senior Championships are played in 8 ends played instead of the 10 played in most international events.
The World Curling Tour (WCT) is a group of curling bonspiels featuring the best male, female, and mixed doubles curlers in the world.
The World Wheelchair Curling Championship is an annual world championship held to determine the world's best team in wheelchair curling. It is held every non-Paralympic year.
The World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments featuring the world's best teams of mixed doubles curlers.
The World Curling Championships are the annual world championships for curling, organized by the World Curling Federation and contested by national championship teams. There are men's, women's and mixed doubles championships, as well as men's and women's versions of junior and senior championships. There is also a world championship for wheelchair curling. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's started in 1979. The mixed doubles championship was started in 2008. Since 2005, the men's and women's championships have been held in different venues, with Canada hosting one of the two championships every year: the men's championship in odd years, and the women's championship in even years. Canada has dominated both the men's and women's championships since their inception, although Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Scotland, the United States, Norway and China have all won at least one championship.
The 2012 World Women's Curling Championship was held at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta from March 17 to 25. It marked the 12th time that Canada has hosted the World Women's Curling Championship. The 2012 World Women's Championship was one of the curling events that is a qualifier for the curling tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The 2013 World Women's Curling Championship was held at the Volvo Sports Centre in Riga, Latvia from March 16 to 24. It marked the first time that Latvia has hosted the World Women's Championship. This event was also a qualifying event for the 2014 Winter Olympics, awarding points to countries based on performance at the worlds.
The 2013 World Men's Curling Championship was held from March 30 to April 7, 2013 at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. This marked the twenty-first time that Canada hosted the World Men's Championship, the fifth time that the province of British Columbia hosted the World Men's Championship, and the second time that Victoria hosted the World Men's Championship. Victoria previously hosted the championships in 2005. The event was also a qualifying event for the 2014 Winter Olympics, awarding points to countries based on performance at this tournament.
The 2015 World Men's Curling Championship was held from March 28 to April 5 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It marked the first time that a World Curling Championship had been held in Halifax, and the first time that a World Curling Championship event had been held in the province since the World Junior Curling Championships were held in Dartmouth in 1986.
The World Mixed Curling Championship is the world championship for mixed curling. It is held annually in the autumn, and replaced the European Mixed Curling Championship.
The 2016–17 curling season began in August 2016 and ended in April 2017.
The 2017–18 curling season began in May 2017 and ended in May 2018.
The 2020–21 curling season began in August 2020 and ended in May 2021.
The 2021 World Women's Curling Championship was held 30 April to 9 May at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta.
The 2021 World Men's Curling Championship was held from April 2 to 11 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Canada. The event was originally to be held in Ottawa, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the championship was moved to Calgary. The event was held in a bio-secure bubble at Canada Olympic Park, which also hosted all major Curling Canada championships leading up to the Worlds. All events were held behind closed doors with no spectators.
The 2022 World Women's Curling Championship was held from March 19 to 27 at the CN Centre in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Prince George was originally chosen to host the 2020 World Women's Curling Championship, but the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Switzerland 
Canada (Chris Daw)
Sweden 
Scotland 
United States 
England 
Bulgaria 
Italy 
Denmark 
