Curling officially entered the Olympic Games program back in 1998. And this is despite the fact that the history of this sport began much earlier - around the beginning of the 16th century. Today, a huge number of athletes from different countries are enthusiastically engaged in curling.
The word curling in translation from English means "rotation". Today, this is the name for a type of ice games that involves the use of a special pin.
Curling was invented in Scotland, from where the idea of such a game was quickly sorted out by countries where the conditions for the competition were suitable. After all, then there was no system for pouring ice, and ordinary natural frozen reservoirs were used as a field. Curling was officially recognized as a sport in 1838 when the Grand Caledonian Curling Club was opened. With the light hand of Queen Victoria, who attended the games five years later, he acquired the name "royal".
In 1924, curling was included in the first Olympic Games in Chamonix, held in winter. However, at that time it was not yet officially recognized as an Olympic sport. He became such only after 74 years.
A specially prepared field is required for such a game. It must be ice. The size of the court is 45, 72 m or 150 feet by 5 m or 16 feet, 5 inches. If you look at the field from above, you can see the markings along which the game is played. An important part of it is the so-called "home". It looks like a shooting target. It is to him that the players must bring their pin as a result. It is advisable to get it to the very center.
The pin itself is a round-shaped projectile made of granite. The diameter of such a stone is no more than 91.44 cm. The height is also determined and is 11.43 cm. The weight of this projectile ranges from 17, 24 - 19, 96 kg. A metal handle is attached to it so that it is convenient to start it. There are 8 such shells in curling - 2 for each player in the team. The set with the shells comes with a special brush or broom, a stand for sliding when throwing.
Be sure to pick up special shoes. It is a pair of boots that have different properties - one with a sliding sole, the other with an anti-slip sole. Athletes' clothing is a tracksuit and gloves. From technical means, athletes are only allowed to have a stopwatch.
A curling match consists of 10 independent game parts. Each of them is called "end". According to the results of such parts, points are assigned, and they are awarded only to the team that won the race. The second is left with nothing. The overall result is made up of the total score for all completed "ends". There can be no draw in curling. If both teams score an equal number of points, they are given an additional race, according to the results of which the final winner is determined.
Subtle calculation helps to win in competitions. After all, you need to calculate the point where you need to stop for a throw with an accuracy of a millimeter. The indicator and the power of the throw are important. And then it all depends on the skill of the athletes and how quickly they can clear the road in front of their stones, so that they quickly and as accurately as possible reach the goal.
