OLYMPICS: Curling seeks to break free of reliance on Winter Games spotlight

World Curling President Beau Welling wants to sweep away the sport’s “Olympics-only” image and usher in a new era where fans can engage with curling throughout the year.

Originating in Scotland and hugely popular in Canada, curling made its Olympic debut at the 1924 Games in Chamonix. However, it did not return to the official program until the 1998 Nagano Games, which introduced the sport to a global audience.

Since Nagano, the governing body’s membership has grown from 28 to 77 associations. Yet, while curling is gaining popularity outside traditional winter sports countries, interest still tends to spike around the Olympics.

“There’s a lot of excitement and viewership around the globe every four years, and one of the things we’re working hard to do is figure out how to make curling more accessible to a broader audience in between the Olympics,” Welling told Reuters.

“We have our own rapidly growing OTT platform, the Curling Channel. A fundamentally important strategic goal for us is to get more eyes on curling. We’re working very hard to do that.

“We’re very proud of our sport. It’s a value-based sport with integrity and honesty—you call your own fouls, so sportsmanship is highly valued. As we grow the sport, we want to grow our culture as well.”

Revamped World Championships

In October, World Curling announced an overhaul of its competition structure. Starting in the 2026-27 season, the annual world championships will expand from 13 to 18 teams.

The new format will include a B-Division with 16 women’s and 16 men’s teams, as well as regional C-Division championships for Europe and Pan-Continental regions. A promotion and relegation system between divisions will also be introduced.

“These changes are designed to make the sport more accessible,” Welling said.

“We see this as opening up curling to everyone, including newer, non-traditional countries. There’s now a clear pathway to Olympic qualification points. The old system wasn’t closed, but it was harder to break through. Now, that pathway is much clearer.

“We want curling to grow—not just in terms of athletes, but also fans, and in the development of new member associations.”

From the Links to the Rinks

Welling, a golf course designer by profession, was involved in designing the virtual green used in the TGL, the tech-driven indoor golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

He first became interested in curling when it was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. That fascination led him to attend the 2006 U.S. National Championships in Bemidji, Minnesota, where he was warmly welcomed by the curling community.

A few months later, he joined the U.S. Curling board, eventually leading to his appointment as World Curling President in September 2022.

“I’m from South Carolina, where there’s hardly any ice—we just put ice in our drinks,” Welling said. “I was personally fascinated watching the sport on television. The more I watched, the more intrigued I became.

“I come from the world of golf, and it turns out that curling and golf are both ancient Scottish sports. There’s something about that connection that really appealed to me.”

-Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford/Reuters