World Curling
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World Curling, formerly 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 to the WCF and then to World Curling in 2024.[1]
The ICF was initially formed in 1966 as a committee of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club in Perth after the success of the Scotch Cup series of world championships held between Canada and Scotland. At the outset, it comprised the associations of Scotland, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and the United States. In the wake of its formation, it sanctioned the World Curling Championships. World Curling currently sanctions 15 international curling events (see below). World Curling is managed by eight Board Directors, one president, three vice-presidents (one from each World Curling regional zone - Americas, Europe, Pacific-Asia) and six Board Directors. The six Board Directors must all come from different member associations. All positions on the Board of Directors are elected by World Curling member associations. The Board of Directors are supported by and a permanent staff of 20 employees.
There are 74 member associations, with the most recent addition being Pakistan, Puerto Rico and the Philippines in 2023, and Monaco in 2024.[2][3]
In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022 World Curling banned the Russian Curling Federation from competing.[4]
Goals
The World Curling mission statement reads: "To lead the worldwide curling community through the promotion and development of our sport, our culture and our values."[5]
The purpose and aims of World Curling are as follows:[6]
- To represent curling internationally and to facilitate growth of the sport throughout the world
- To promote co-operation and mutual understanding amongst Member Associations and to unite curlers throughout the world
- To Defend and Further the interests of world curling
- To conduct world curling competitions
- To formulate rules of the sport of curling for world competitions and all other competitions approved by World Curling
Member associations
Following is a list of member associations of World Curling:[2][7]
Former member associations
| Years | Name | Country | WCF zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2014[39] | Armenia Curling FederationTemplate:Efn | Template:Country data Armenia | Europe |
| 2003–2021[40] | Polish Curling AssociationTemplate:Efn | Template:Country data Poland | Europe |
Executive board
The current executive board as of June 2024 is as follows:[41]
President: Beau Welling (United States)
Vice Presidents:
- Graham Prouse (Canada)
- Hugh Millikin (Australia)
Board of Directors:
- Kim Forge (Australia)
- Helena Lingham (Sweden)
- Sergio Mitsuo Vilela (Brazil)
- Robin Niven (Scotland)
- Toyo Ogawa (Japan)
Athlete Commission Chair: Jill Officer (Canada)
Former presidents
Former presidents of the WCF and ICF are listed below:[42]
| President | Member association | Years in office |
|---|---|---|
| Presidents of the ICF | ||
| Major Allan Cameron | Scotland | 1966–1969 |
| Brigadier Colin A. Campbell | Canada | 1969–1979 |
| Sven A. Eklund | Sweden | 1979–1982 |
| G. Clifton Thompson | Canada | 1982–1985 |
| Philip Dawson | Scotland | 1985–1988 |
| Dr. Donald F. Barcome | United States | 1988–1990 |
| Presidents of the WCF | ||
| Günther Hummelt | Austria | 1990–2000 |
| Roy Sinclair | Scotland | 2000–2006 |
| Les Harrison | Canada | 2006–2010 |
| Kate Caithness | Scotland | 2010–2022 |
Competitions and championships
World Curling manages many events around the world.[43]
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| International championships | |
| Olympic Winter Games (OWG) | For ten men's, women's, and mixed doubles teams. |
| Paralympic Winter Games (PWG) | For ten mixed teams and eight mixed doubles teams. |
| Youth Olympic Games (YOG) | For twenty-four mixed teams and forty-eight mixed doubles teams. |
| World Men's Curling Championship (WMCC) | For thirteen men's teams. |
| World Women's Curling Championship (WWCC) | For thirteen women's teams. |
| World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship (WMDCC) | For twenty mixed doubles teams. |
| World Wheelchair Curling Championship (WWhCC) | For twelve mixed teams. |
| World Junior Curling Championships (WJCC) | For ten junior men's and ten junior women's teams. |
| World Mixed Curling Championship (WMxCC) | Open entry: one team may enter from each Member Association. |
| World Senior Curling Championships (WSCC) | Open entry: one team from each gender may enter from each Member Association. The players must not be less than 50 years of age. |
| Qualification events | |
| Olympic Qualification Event (OQE) | For men's and women's teams from National Olympic Committees previously qualified for World Curling Championships but not already qualified for the Olympic Winter Games. |
| World Mixed Doubles Qualification Event (WMDQE) | For mixed doubles teams from member associations not already qualified for the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. |
| World Wheelchair-B Curling Championship (WWhBCC) | For mixed gender teams from member associations not already qualified for the World Wheelchair Curling Championship. |
| World Junior-B Curling Championships (WJBCC) | For junior men's and junior women's teams from member associations not already qualified for the World Junior Curling Championships. |
| Regional championships | |
| European Curling Championships (ECC) | For men's and women's teams from the European zone. |
| Pan Continental Curling Championships (PCCC) | For men's and women's teams from the Pan Continental Zone. (Starting in 2022-23 season) |
| Defunct events | |
| Curling World Cup | For eight men's, women's, and mixed doubles teams, consisting of three legs and a Grand Final. |
| Pacific-Asia Junior Curling Championships (PJCC) | For junior men's and women's teams from the Pacific Zone; acts as qualification to the WJCC. Replaced by World Junior-B Curling Championships. |
| European Junior Curling Challenge (EJCC) | For junior men's and women's teams from the European zone that have not already qualified for WJCC. Replaced by World Junior-B Curling Championships. |
| Americas Challenge | For men's and women's teams from the defunct Americas zone, only if the second-ranked member association from the Americas zone is challenged. Replaced by Pan-Continental Curling Championship. |
| Pacific-Asia Curling Championships (PACC) | For men's and women's teams from the defunct Pacific-Asia zone. Replaced by the Pan-Continental Curling Championship. |
| World Qualification Event (WQE) | For eight men's and women's teams from member associations not already qualified for the World Curling Championships. |
See also
Notes
References
External links
Template:International Sports Federations Template:National members of the World Curling Federation Template:Authority control
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