The 23rd Olympiad marks the debut of the mixed doubles curling tournament, one of four new events the International Olympic Committee added to the program for the 2018 Games, tacking on four extra days of competition than the 2014 Sochi Games.
MORE: Complete 2018 Olympic schedule, how to watch live
Curling matches begin the day before the opening ceremony and continue through Feb. 24, hours before the closing ceremony, creating an exciting but busy schedule for athletes and fans. And while the 600-year-old niche sport traditionally has been dominated by Canadians, the United States has a legitimate chance to take home a curling medal for the second time ever.
Here’s everything you need to know about curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Which teams are competing
Eight nations are competing in the mixed doubles tournament, while 10 will compete in the men’s and women’s team events.
Mixed Doubles: Canada, China, Finland, Korea, Norway, Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR), Switzerland and the United States.
Men’s: Canada, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Korea, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States
Women’s: Canada, China, Denmark, Great Britain, Japan, Korea, OAR, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States
How to watch curling at the 2018 Winter Olympics
NBC provides both live and taped coverage of the Winter Olympics in the United States.
Given the sheer volume of curling at the 2018 Games, the sport is well positioned to capture viewing audiences across all hours of the day. There’s a 14-hour difference between South Korea and the U.S. East Coast, but staggered competition means some matches will be carried live, possibly as part of NBC’s main primetime block. That includes the women’s gold medal game Feb. 24.
Every Olympic event will be available to stream live at NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. They’re also available on fuboTV.
Watch the Winter Olympics live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Location and schedule of events
All Olympic curling matches will take place at the Gangneung Curling Centre, part of the Gangneung Olympic Park. The larger venue will also host figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating.
Curling results from the 2014 Winter Olympics
Team Canada completed a clean sweep at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, winning gold in both the men’s and women’s tournament.
Men’s: Gold: Canada, Silver: Great Britain, Bronze: Sweden.
Women’s: Gold: Canada, Silver: Sweden, Bronze: Great Britain.
U.S. curling Olympic medal history
If Team USA medals in curling, it will be the second time in Olympic history. The American men claimed curling bronze in Turin in 2006.
Americans Matt and Becca Hamilton are two of three Olympic curlers who qualified in both the new mixed doubles discipline and the traditional, single-gender curling event, and are expected to give the U.S. its best chance to medal in 2018. The siblings from McFarland, Wisc., could be on the ice for as many as 50 hours at Pyeongchang.
Sporting News’ John Arlia contributed to this story.
