In 1932 at Lake Placid, United States, curling again was listed but this time as a demonstration sport at the 1932 Olympic Winter Games. Great Britain defeated Sweden and France in what was retroactively accepted in 2006 by the International Olympic Committee as curling’s Olympic debut, with medals awarded.
It is recorded that international curling events were staged in the 19th century in Europe and North America, but it was not until the first Olympic Winter Games in 1924, in Chamonix, France that any form of official international competition took place for men’s teams. Four years later, following a demonstration of curling on the ballroom floor of Scone Palace near Perth by the Earl of Mansfield during a visit by Queen Victoria, the Queen was so fascinated by the game that in 1843 she gave permission for the Club’s name to be changed to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. The first Rules were drawn up in Scotland, and they were formally adopted as the “Rules in Curling” by the Grand Caledonian Curling Club, which was formed in Edinburgh in 1838 and became the sport’s governing body. The first recognised curling clubs were formed in Scotland, and during the 19th century the game was exported wherever Scots settled around the world in cold climates, most notably at that time in Canada, United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand. When the weather permits, the game is still enjoyed outside in some countries, but all national and international competitive curling competitions now take place in indoor rinks with the condition and temperature of the ice carefully controlled. What is clear, however, is that what may have started as an enjoyable pastime of throwing stones over ice during a harsh Northern European winter, has evolved into a popular modern sport with its own world championships, which attract fans and large television audiences.Ĭurling in its early days was played on frozen lochs and ponds. The report indicated that Sclater threw a stone along the ice three times and asserted that he was ready for the agreed contest. The first written evidence appeared in Latin, when in 1540, John McQuhin, a notary in Paisley, Scotland, recorded in his protocol book a challenge between John Sclater, a monk in Paisley Abbey and Gavin Hamilton, a representative of the Abbot. Paintings by a 16th century Flemish artist, Pieter Bruegel (1530-1569) portrayed an activity similar to curling being played on frozen ponds. The exact origins of the game, however, are unclear, but curling is widely believed to be one of the world’s oldest team sports. Curling has been described as the ‘Roarin’ Game’, with the ‘roar’ coming from the noise of a granite stone as it travels over the ice.
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