What are Olympic curling rules? A complete explainer for 2026 Winter Games Marcus D. Smith, USA TODAYFebruary 10, 2026 at 6:03 AM 0 It's curling season at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy. And no we're not talking weight training. Curling is a team sport played on a strip of ice 45 meters long and five meters wide, where two opposing teams battle to see who can slide granite stones toward a target, or house as defined by the World Curling Federation. Each house consists of four rings which help define which curling stones are closest to the center, known as the button.
- - What are Olympic curling rules? A complete explainer for 2026 Winter Games
Marcus D. Smith, USA TODAYFebruary 10, 2026 at 6:03 AM
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It's curling season at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, Italy. And no we're not talking weight training.
Curling is a team sport played on a strip of ice 45 meters long and five meters wide, where two opposing teams battle to see who can slide granite stones toward a target, or house as defined by the World Curling Federation. Each house consists of four rings which help define which curling stones are closest to the center, known as the button.
The stones have a certain handle on them so they curl down the ice when they are released.
There will be three competition events at the Winter Games – men's, women's and mixed doubles – which will be held in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The World Curling Federation said an average game of championship curling can last up to three hours which includes "thinking time" for each team, which can vary depending on competition events.
Here is how the sport is played and what to look for when watching on NBC Olympics:
1 / 82026 Winter Olympics kick off with curling before opening ceremonyBrett Gallant of Team Canada thows a stone during Mixed Doubles round robin play against Team Czechia during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Cortina Curling Olympic Stadium on Feb. 4, 2026 in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.Rules to curling
Curling matches, or games, have 10 rounds, or ends, and consist of eight stones. Each game is played between two teams with four players each consisting of four positions − lead, second, third and fourth.
The lead takes the first two stones and the second plays the third and fourth stones. The third delivers the fifth and sixth stones and the fourth has the last two stones. The final score is determined when all 16 stones have been thrown.
Points are scored when one or more stones are close to the center of the house, or target, after each end. Whichever team has the stone closest to the center of the house is awarded a point, additionally, that team gets a point for every stone closer than their opponent's.
But if there aren't any team's stones that are touching the house when an end is over then no points are scored and is considered a blank end.
The team with the most points at the conclusion of the final end wins. If there's a tie then an extra end is played to determine who wins.
HOW TO WATCH: Here's the complete 2026 Winter Olympics competition schedule
Team USA mixed doubles skip Cory Thiesse during a curling semifinal match against Italy on Feb. 9, 2026.How it's played
The teams cast their stones from one part of the ice sheet and must release the stone to the other side of the sheet, releasing the stone before the "hog line" to be considered in play.
As a stone glides toward the target, players can sweep ice in front of it to affect the direction and the speed of the stone. If a stone doesn't pass the hog line at the scoring side of the ice sheet then it is disqualified from play.
Players add their points after all stones have been delivered to the scoring side of the ice sheet. When an end is complete, the next end is played in the opposite direction.
Although curling lasts 10 ends, some matches can be reduced to eight. Teams have the option to concede matches prior to the agreed upon number of ends.
Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse of the U.S. mixed doubles curling team surveys the target area known as the house during the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic Winter Games.Mixed-doubles curling
In the mixed doubles, there are eight ends and each team can throw five stones per end. They begin every end with one stone, per team, pre-placed therefore it's possible to score six points in an end. One player plays the first and fifth stones while the other player plays stones two, three and four.
Teams can call a power play once a game. It is announced at the beginning of an end and allows a team to decide on the placement of pre-positioned stones.
In mixed doubles, the hammer is exchanged if no one scores.
Before each match, two players from each team deliver stones to the house, and the team with the shortest average distance to the center gets the hammer.
After that, it alternates each round. In the men's and women's events, a scoreless round means the team with the hammer keeps it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Curling rules, how to for 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina
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Source: Sports
Published: February 10, 2026 at 01:27PM on Source: MANUEL MAG
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