How Curling Became the Winter Olympics' Favorite Fixation

"It's like clockwork. Every four years, a whole new coterie finds itself unexpectedly enamored with curling. It's easy to see why. There's an element of competence porn to watching passionate athletes masterfully do something that to the rest of the world probably looks like bocce on ice. The precision of the stone throw, the careful sweeping. It's transfixing. As the 2026 Winter Olympics begin in Italy, viewers are entranced."

"The first written record of curling dates back to 1540. A notary in Paisley, Scotland, named John McQuhin wrote a record in Latin about a challenge between John Sclater, a monk at Paisley Abbey, and Gavin Hamilton, the abbot's representative. It's said that Sclater threw a stone three times on the surface of a frozen lake and agreed to the contest."

Curling traces back to at least 1540 with a recorded challenge on a frozen lake near Paisley, Scotland, involving John Sclater and Gavin Hamilton. The sport gained popularity across northern Europe during markedly harsher winters several centuries ago, evident in Pieter Bruegel the Elder's mid-16th-century paintings. The term 'curling' appeared in 1620 and organized clubs emerged in Scotland, with Kilsyth Curling Club established in 1716 and the Royal Caledonian Curling Club formalizing rules in 1838. The game's historical outdoor play on frozen bodies of water provides clues about past winter severity and changing climate patterns.

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