World Curling Federation

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.

World Curling Federation
Formation1966 (as International Curling Federation)
TypeSports federation
HeadquartersPerth, Scotland, United Kingdom
Membership
73 member associations
Official language
English
Beau Welling
Staff
20[1]
Websiteworldcurling.org

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. The WCF currently sanctions 15 international curling events (see below). The WCF is managed by eight Board Directors, one president, three vice-presidents (one from each WCF 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 WCF member associations. The Board of Directors are supported by and a permanent staff of 20 employees.

There are 73 member associations, with the most recent addition being Pakistan, Puerto Rico and the Philippines in 2023.[2]

In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, in March 2022 the WCF banned the Russian Curling Federation from competing.[3]

Goals

The WCF mission statement reads: "The World Curling Federation represents curling internationally and facilitates the growth of the sport through a network of Member Associations/Federations."[4]

The purpose and aims of the WCF are as follows:[5]

  1. To represent curling internationally and to facilitate growth of the sport throughout the world
  2. To promote co-operation and mutual understanding amongst Member Associations and to unite curlers throughout the world
  3. To Defend and Further the interests of world curling
  4. To conduct world curling competitions
  5. To formulate rules of the sport of curling for world competitions and all other competitions approved by the WCF

Member associations
Members of the World Curling Federation and its regional divisions. Green represents the Americas zone, Blue represents the Europe zone, and Purple represents the Pacific-Asia zone.

Following is a list of member associations of the World Curling Federation:[6][2]

Year Name Country WCF zone
2017 Afghanistan Curling Federation[7]  Afghanistan Pacific-Asia
1991 Andorra Curling Association  Andorra Europe
1986 Australian Curling Federation  Australia Pacific-Asia
1982 Österreichischer Curling Verband[8]  Austria Europe
1997 Belarusian Curling Association[9]  Belarus Europe
2005 Belgian Curling Association[10]  Belgium Europe
2020 Bolivian Curling Federation  Bolivia Americas
2022 Bosnia and Herzegovina Curling Association  Bosnia and Herzegovina Europe
1998 Brazilian Ice Sports Federation  Brazil Americas
2013 Bulgarian Curling Federation[11]  Bulgaria Europe
1966 Curling Canada  Canada Americas
2002 Chinese Curling Association  China Pacific-Asia
1998 Chinese Taipei Curling Federation[12]  Chinese Taipei Pacific-Asia
2004 Croatian Curling Association[13]  Croatia Europe
1990 Czech Curling Association[14]  Czechia Europe
1971 Danish Curling Association[15]  Denmark Europe
2019 Dominican Republic winter sports federation  Dominican Republic Americas
1971 English Curling Association  England Europe
2003 Estonian Curling Association[16]  Estonia Europe
1979 Finnish Curling Association[17]  Finland Europe
1966 French Ice Sports Federation  France Europe
2013 Georgian Curling Federation  Georgia Europe
1967 Deutscher Curling-Verband  Germany Europe
2003 Hellenic Curling Association  Greece Europe
2016 Guyana Curling Federation  Guyana Americas
2014 Hong Kong Curling Association  Hong Kong, China Pacific-Asia
1989 Hungarian Curling Federation[18]  Hungary Europe
1991 Icelandic Sport Federation  Iceland Europe
2019 Curling Federation of India  India Pacific-Asia
2003 Irish Curling Association[19]  Ireland Europe
2013 Israel Curling Federation  Israel Europe
1972 Italian Ice Sports Federation  Italy Europe
2022 Curling Jamaica  Jamaica Americas
1985 Japan Curling Association[20]  Japan Pacific-Asia
2003 Kazakhstan Curling Association  Kazakhstan Pacific-Asia
2021 Kenya Curling Federation  Kenya Pacific-Asia
1994 Korean Curling Association  Korea Pacific-Asia
2012 Kosovo Curling Federation  Kosovo Europe
2019 Kuwait Winter Games Club  Kuwait Pacific-Asia
2017 Curling Federation of the Kyrgyz Republic[21]  Kyrgyzstan Pacific-Asia
2001 Latvian Curling Association[22]  Latvia Europe
1991 Liechtenstein Curling Association  Liechtenstein Europe
2003 Lithuanian Curling Association[23]  Lithuania Europe
1976 Luxembourg Curling Association[24]  Luxembourg Europe
2016 Federacion Mexicana de Curling  Mexico Americas
2012 Mongolian Curling Federation  Mongolia Pacific-Asia
1975 Netherlands Curling Association[25]  Netherlands Europe
1991 New Zealand Curling Association[26]  New Zealand Pacific-Asia
2018 Nigeria Curling Federation[27]  Nigeria Pacific-Asia
1966 Norwegian Curling Association[28]  Norway Europe
2023 Pakistan Curling Federation  Pakistan Pacific-Asia
2023 Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines  Philippines Pacific-Asia
2022 Polish Curling Clubs Federation  Poland Europe
2017 Winter Sports Federation of Portugal  Portugal Europe
2023 Puerto Rico  Puerto Rico Americas
2014 Qatar Curling Federation  Qatar Pacific-Asia
2010 Romanian Curling Federation[29]  Romania Europe
1992 Russian Curling Federation[30]  Russia Europe
2017 Kingdom Curling Association  Saudi Arabia Pacific-Asia
1966 Royal Caledonian Curling Club  Scotland Europe
2005 National Curling Association of Serbia[31]  Serbia Europe
2003 Slovak Curling Association[32]  Slovakia Europe
2010 Slovenian Curling Association[33]  Slovenia Europe
1999 Spanish Ice Sports Federation  Spain Europe
1966 Swedish Curling Association[34]  Sweden Europe
1966 Swiss Curling Association[35]   Switzerland Europe
2022 Thai Curling Association  Thailand Pacific-Asia
2009 Turkish Ice Skating Federation  Türkiye Europe
2020 Curling Federation of Turkmenistan  Turkmenistan Pacific-Asia
2013 Ukrainian Curling Federation[36]  Ukraine Europe
1966 United States Curling Association  United States of America Americas
1991 US Virgin Islands Curling Association  U.S. Virgin Islands Americas
1982 Welsh Curling Association[37]  Wales Europe

*The Armenia Curling Federation was suspended for failure to pay subscriptions,[38] and later expelled.[39]

*The Polish Curling Association was suspended for not resolving disputes within Poland's ministry of sport and the Polish Curling Association governance structures.[40] It was replaced by the Polish Curling Clubs Federation in 2022.

Executive board

The current executive board as of September 2022 is as follows:[41]

Kate Caithness, former president of the World Curling Federation

President: Beau Welling (United States)
Vice Presidents:

Europe: Bent Ånund Ramsfjell (Norway)
Americas: Graham Prouse (Canada)
Pacific-Asia: Hugh Millikin (Australia)

Board of Directors:

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]

PresidentMember associationYears in office
Presidents of the ICF
Major Allan CameronScotland1966–1969
Brigadier Colin A. CampbellCanada1969–1979
Sven A. EklundSweden1979–1982
G. Clifton ThompsonCanada1982–1985
Philip DawsonScotland1985–1988
Dr. Donald F. BarcomeUnited States1988–1990
Presidents of the WCF
Günther HummeltAustria1990–2000
Roy SinclairScotland2000–2006
Les HarrisonCanada2006–2010
Kate CaithnessScotland2010–2022

Competitions and championships

The WCF manages many events around the world.[43]

EventDescription
International championships
Olympic Winter Games (OWG) For ten men's, women's, and mixed doubles teams.
Paralympic Winter Games (PWG) For twelve mixed 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 Wheelchair Curling Championship.
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
  1. "Board". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. "World Curling announce new members at Annual General Assembly". World Curling Federation. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  3. "Krushelnitckii to compete at Russian Championships after doping ban ends". www.insidethegames.biz. 29 March 2022.
  4. "About".
  5. "World Curling Federation - Rules and Regulations". Archived from the original on 30 November 2009.
  6. "World Curling Federation Members". Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  7. "World Curling Federation Board has accepted Afghanistan into its membership". Afghanistan Curling Federation. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  8. "ÖCV". www.curling-austria.at (in Austrian German). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  9. "ГЛАВНАЯ". www.curlingbelarus.by (in Belarusian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  10. "Belgian Curling Association". www.belgiumcurling.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  11. "Българска Кърлинг Федерация | Българска Кърлинг Федерация". curling.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  12. "中華民國冰石壺協會 Chinese Taipei Curling Federation -". 中華民國冰石壺協會 Chinese Taipei Curling Federation. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  13. "Hrvatski curling savez". Hrvatski curling savez (in Croatian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  14. "Curling CZ | Oficiální stránky Českého Svazu Curlingu". Curling CZ (in Czech). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  15. "Dansk Curling Forbund" (in Danish). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  16. "Eesti Curlingu Liit". www.curling.ee (in Estonian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  17. "Suomen Curlingliitto - Finnish Curling Association". www.curling.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  18. "Magyar Curling Szövetség" (in Hungarian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  19. "Irish Curling Association". irish-curling.org. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  20. "公益社団法人 日本カーリング協会". www.curling.or.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  21. "Curling.kg — Сайт федерации кёрлинга Кыргызской Республики" (in Russian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  22. "Curling.Lv". www.curling.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  23. "Lietuvos Kerlingo Asociacija". www.curling.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  24. "Curling Luxembourg – Curling in Luxembourg? Good Idea!". Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  25. "Nederlandse Curling Bond". www.curling.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  26. "New Zealand Curling". www.curling.org.nz. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  27. "Home | Nigeria Curling Federation". www.nigeriacurling.com. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  28. "Norges Curlingforbund". www.curling.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  29. "Federatia Romana de Curling" (in Romanian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  30. "Федерация кёрлинга России". www.curling.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  31. "Национални савез за Карлинг Србије". www.curling.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  32. "curling.sk | Home". www.curling.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  33. "Curling zveza Slovenije" (in Slovenian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  34. "Svenska Curlingförbundet". Svenska Curlingförbundet (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  35. "Home". swisscurling (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  36. "Всеукраїнська федерація кьорлінгу" (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  37. "Welsh Curling Association". Welsh Curling Association. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  38. "World Curling Federation Annual General Assembly April 2012". World Curling Federation. 6 April 2012.
  39. "Kate Caithness OBE re-elected World Curling Federation President". Paralympic.org. 9 September 2014. Armenian National Curling Federation was excluded from membership during the Assembly.
  40. "Membership of Polish Curling Association suspended". World Curling Federation. 4 February 2020.
  41. "Board Directors and Staff". World Curling Federation. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  42. World Curling Federation. "Past Presidents of the WCF".
  43. World Curling Federation. "Championships Overview". Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
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