Paralympic curling is celebrating its 20th anniversary! The sport was introduced at the Turin Games in 2006 with a mixed doubles event and eight participating nations. Since then, curling has steadily grown on the Paralympic scene: ten nations competed in Vancouver and Sochi, then 12 in Pyeongchang and Beijing. Milan-Cortina 2026 will mark another milestone with the introduction of mixed doubles, the final of which will take place on Wednesday.
Faster matches
This new format has several unique features. Two stones are pre-positioned at the start of each round, one for each team, to add excitement to the action. Similarly, each duo plays five stones per round, instead of eight in the classic competition. Mixed doubles curling is an exciting and captivating format where the cost of a mistake is much higher than in traditional curling. Fewer stones mean more tension in the game, but on the other hand, understanding your teammate well is essential. », Estimates Latvian Polina Rozkova.
Jiri Snitil, one of the heads of competitions and development at World Curling, also offered his comment on the organization's website: Everyone hoped this new discipline would further promote wheelchair curling. It has proven to be an excellent decision, as the games are faster. »
Even the "little ones" believe it.
Seven nations have reached the podium at the Paralympic Games so far: Canada, China, Great Britain, Norway, Russia, South Korea, and Sweden. The introduction of mixed doubles may add a bit more diversity. Over the past two seasons, we have organized two World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championships, which were a great success., commented Eeva Roethlisberger, head of competitions at World Curling, at the time of the announcement in July 2023. At these events, alongside the nations traditionally present in curling, relatively new member associations reached the podium. This demonstrates the strong potential of this sport, and we are very pleased that it is being showcased on the Paralympic stage. »
Eight teams are competing in Italy: South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, Latvia, Great Britain, Estonia, and Italy. Here, there's no need to field a team of four athletes; two are enough. This gives smaller nations, like Estonia, the right to dream. The duo of Katlin Riidebach and Ain Villau have already distinguished themselves with a bronze medal at the World Championships in March 2025. In Estonia, we currently only have three people who practice wheelchair curling. " Riidebach confided last year. The duo had also made a perfect start to the Olympic tournament with two victories, before falling back into the pack.
« Curling has really evolved " says Polina Rozkova, referring in particular to Hungary's absence. Mixed doubles is experiencing very rapid growth, and teams are putting a lot of energy and thought into it, resulting in a higher level of play. If I had to bet on the winner right now, I really wouldn't know what to say, because the competition is very tight, and many of the teams behind the top eight are of a similar caliber. "The first few days of competition have confirmed it: while China is currently in control (six wins in six matches), five other teams have a record of three wins and three losses. Only three of them will join China in the semi-finals."
