World Curling Federation
Encyclopedia
The World Curling Federation (WCF) is the world governing body for curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...

 accreditation, with offices in Perth, Scotland
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...

. 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 1991.

The ICF was initially formed in 1965 as a committee of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club
Royal Caledonian Curling Club
The Royal Caledonian Curling Club is the mother club of the sport of curling, and the governing body of curling in Scotland. The RCCC was founded on 25 July 1838 in Edinburgh, and granted its royal charter by Queen Victoria in 1843, after she had witnessed a demonstration of the sport played on...

 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
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 In the wake of its formation, it sanctioned the World Curling Championships
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are annual curling events which showcase the world's best curlers, organized by the World Curling Federation. There are men's, women's and mixed championships. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's in 1979...

. The WCF currently sanctions fifteen international curling events (see below). The WCF is managed by an executive board of seven, each from a different country and elected by WCF member associations, and a permanent staff of ten employees. There are currently 48 member associations.

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."

The purpose and aims of the WCF are as follows:
  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

Following is a list of member associations of the World Curling Federation:
Year Name Country President WCF Zone
1991 Andorra Curling Association Josep Duró Europe
2010 Armenia Curling Federation Hayk Jaghatspanyan Europe
1986 Australian Curling Federation John Anderson
1982 Österreichischer Curling Verband Marcus Schmitt Europe
1997 Belarusian Curling Association Dmitry Kirillov Europe
2005 Belgium Curling Association Peter Suter Europe
1998 Brazilian Ice Sports Federation
Brazilian Ice Sports Federation
The Brazilian Ice Sports Federation was founded by Eric Maleson, Brazil's first Bobsled athlete. CBDG was established in 1996 and affiliated to the Brazilian Olympic Committee in 1999...

Eric Leme Walther Maleson
1990 Bulgarian Curling Association Ognian Marinov Sapunov Europe
1966 Canadian Curling Association
Canadian Curling Association
The Canadian Curling Association is a Canadian organization responsible for encouraging and facilitating growth and development of the sport of curling. The CCA is associated with more than a dozen provincial and territorial curling associations across the country.-History:The CCA was created in...

Laura Lochanski
2002 Chinese Curling Association Ni Huizhong
2004 Croatian Curling Association Alen Cadez Europe
1990 Czech Curling Association Karel Kubeška Europe
1971 Danish Curling Association Niels Larsen Europe
1971 English Curling Association Alison Arthur Europe
2003 Estonian Curling Association Indrek Schwede Europe
1979 Finnish Curling Association Olli Rissanen Europe
1966 French Curling Association Alain Contat Europe
1967 Deutscher Curling-Verband Dieter Kolb Europe
2003 Hellenic Curling Association Ioannis Kanelopoulos Europe
1989 Hungarian Curling Association András Rókusfalvy Europe
1991 Icelandic Curling Association Líney Rut Halldórsdóttir Europe
2003 Irish Curling Association John Jo Kenny Europe
1972 Italian Curling Association Giancarlo Bolognini Europe
1985 Japan Curling Association Hiroaki Doi
2003 Kazakhstan Curling Association Viktor G. Kim Europe
1994 Korean Curling Association Byeong Rae Kim
2001 Latvian Curling Association Janis Rudzitis Europe
1991 Liechtenstein Curling Association Heinz Hasler Europe
2003 Lithuanian Curling Association Vytautas Vimantas Zimnickas Europe
1976 Luxembourg Curling Association Marco Etienne Europe
1975 Netherlands Curling Association Jerry Van Zundert Europe
1991 New Zealand Curling Association James Armstrong
1966 Norwegian Curling Association Bent Ånund Ramsfjell Europe
2003 Polish Curling Association Marek Jóźwik Europe
2010 Romanian Curling Federation Allen Coliban Europe
1992 Russian Curling Federation Dimitry Svischev Europe
2005 National Curling Association of Serbia Marko Stojanović Europe
2003 Slovak Curling Association Juraj Kapolka Europe
2010 Slovenian Curling Association David Stonič Europe
1999 Spanish Ice Sports Federation Maria Teresa Samaranch Europe
1966 Royal Caledonian Curling Club
Royal Caledonian Curling Club
The Royal Caledonian Curling Club is the mother club of the sport of curling, and the governing body of curling in Scotland. The RCCC was founded on 25 July 1838 in Edinburgh, and granted its royal charter by Queen Victoria in 1843, after she had witnessed a demonstration of the sport played on...

Robbie Scott Europe
1966 Swedish Curling Association Björn Rudström Europe
1966 Swiss Curling Association Louis Moser Europe
2009 Turkish Curling Association Fahrettin Kandemir Europe
1998 Chinese Taipei Curling Federation Rich K.H. Lee
1966 United States Curling Association
United States Curling Association
The United States Curling Association is the national governing body of the sport of curling in the United States. The goal of the USCA is to grow the sport of curling in the United States and win medals in competitions both domestic and abroad. Curling’s recent popularity has swelled the USCA to...

Chris Sjue
1991 US Virgin Islands Curling Association Jackson Roberts
1982 Welsh Curling Association Andrew Tanner Europe

Executive Board

The current executive board is as follows:

President: Kate Caithness (Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

)


Vice President: Patrick Hürlimann
Patrick Hürlimann
Patrick Hürlimann is a Swiss curler and Olympic champion. He received a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano.He has received three medals at the World Curling Championships as skip for the Swiss team....

 (Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

)

Director of Finance: Andy Anderson (United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

)

Secretary-General: Colin Grahamslaw 

Members at large:
  • Young C Kim (South Korea
    South Korea
    The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

    )
  • Niels Larsen (Denmark
    Denmark
    Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

    )
  • Leif Öhman (Sweden
    Sweden
    Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

    )
  • Graham Prouse (Canada
    Canada
    Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

    )

Staff

The WCF has a group of permanent staff, listed as follows:

Development Officer: Richard Harding 

Media Relations Officer: Joanna Kelly 

Development Officer: Eeva Röthlisberger 

Development Officer/Director of Competitions: Keith Wendorf
WCF Secretariat at Perth
  • Gill Amatt
  • Liz Burns
  • Shirley Davies
  • Susan Keith
  • Liz Munro

Former Presidents

Former presidents of the WCF and ICF are listed below:
President Member Association Years in office
Presidents of the ICF
Major Allan Cameron  Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 
1966–1969
Brigadier Colin A. Campbell  Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 
1969–1979
Sven A. Eklund  Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 
1979–1982
C. Clifton Thompson  Canada 1982–1985
Philip Dawson  Scotland 1985–1988
Dr. Donald F. Barcome  United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 
1988–1990
Presidents of the WCF
Günther Hummelt  Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 
1990–2000
Roy Sinclair  Scotland 2000–2006
Les Harrison  Canada 2006–2010

Competitions and Championships

The WCF currently manages or is involved in 15 events around the world. Following is a list of those events:
Event | Description
International Events
World Women's Curling Championship
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are annual curling events which showcase the world's best curlers, organized by the World Curling Federation. There are men's, women's and mixed championships. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's in 1979...

 (WWCC)
For twelve women’s teams from the Americas, European and Pacific Zones.
World Men's Curling Championship
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are annual curling events which showcase the world's best curlers, organized by the World Curling Federation. There are men's, women's and mixed championships. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's in 1979...

 (WMCC)
For twelve men’s teams from the Americas, European and Pacific Zones.
World Junior Curling Championships
World Junior Curling Championships
The World Junior Curling Championships is an annual curling tournament featuring the world's best curlers who are 21 years old or younger. The competition for both men and women occur at the same venue. The men's tournament has occurred since 1975 and the women's 1988...

 (WJCC)
For ten junior men’s and ten junior women’s teams from the Americas, European and Pacific Zones.
World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
The World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments featuring the world's best teams of mixed doubles curlers.The tournament began in 2008 with the 2008 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. Switzerland's mixed doubles team of Irene Schori and Toni Müller dominated the...

 (WMDCC)
Open Entry: one team may enter from each Member Association. One male and one female player on each team.
World Senior Curling Championships
World Senior Curling Championships
The World Senior Curling Championships is an annual curling tournament featuring curlers from around the world who are at least 50 years old. Senior curling is quite similar to curling, with the exception of having only 8 ends played instead of 10....

 (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.
World Wheelchair Curling Championship
World Wheelchair Curling Championship
The World Wheelchair Curling Championship is an annual world championship held to determine the world's best team in wheelchair curling. It is held every non-Paralympic year.-Medalists:...

 (WWhCC)
The world championships for wheelchair curling
Wheelchair curling
Wheelchair curling is an adaptation of curling for athletes with a disability affecting their lower limbs or gait. Wheelchair curling is governed by the World Curling Federation, and is one of the sports in the Winter Paralympic Games....

; for ten mixed gender teams.
World Wheelchair Curling Championship Qualification Open to mixed gender wheelchair curling teams from associations that have not already qualified for the next WWhCC.
Winter Olympic Games
Curling at the Winter Olympics
Curling was included in the program of the inaugural Winter Olympic Games in 1924 in Chamonix. The results of that competition were not considered official by the International Olympic Committee until 2006. Curling was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Games, and then again after a lengthy absence...

Ten men’s and ten women's teams in format similar to WCC; an IOC
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...

 event.
Winter Paralympic Games
Wheelchair curling at the Winter Paralympics
Wheelchair curling tournaments have been staged at the Paralympic Games since the Winter Paralympic Games in 2006 in Turin.The tournaments are staged for mixed gender teams....

Ten mixed gender wheelchair curling teams in format similar to WWhCC; an IPC
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...

 event.
Continental Cup of Curling
Continental Cup of Curling
The Continental Cup of Curling is a curling tournament held annually between teams from North America against teams from the rest of the world. Each side is represented by six teams , and compete using a unique points system. The tournament is modeled after golf's Ryder Cup...

Team North America (United States and Canada) vs. Team World. Twelve teams in total: three men’s and three women’s teams each for both teams. Features team games, mixed doubles games, singles shot-making round, mixed skins and skins games.
Regional Events
Pacific Curling Championships
Pacific Curling Championships
The Pacific-Asia Curling Championships are an annual curling tournament, held every year in November or December. The top team receives a berth to the World Curling Championships, while the second-placed team also receives a berth if the championships are held in the Americas or in Europe...

 (PCC)
For men’s and women’s teams from the Pacific zone; acts as qualification to the World Curling Championships (WCC).
Pacific Junior Curling Championships (PJCC) For junior men’s and women’s teams from the Pacific Zone; acts as qualification to the WJCC.
European Curling Championships
European Curling Championships
The European Curling Championships are annual curling tournaments held in Europe between various European nations and hosted by the European Curling Federation. The European Curling Championships are usually held in early to mid December...

 (ECC)
For men’s and women’s teams from the European Zone; acts as qualification to the WCC.
European Junior Curling Challenge (EJCC) For junior men's and women's teams from the European zone that have not already qualified for WJCC.
Americas Challenge For qualification to the WCC and WJCC, only if the second-ranked member association from the Americas zone is challenged. (ex. 2010 USA-Brazil Challenge
2010 USA-Brazil Challenge
The 2010 USA - Brazil Challenge was held February 5–7, 2010 at the Grafton Curling Club in Grafton, North Dakota. The challenge pitted the Brazilian National Curling Team against the Pete Fenson rink of Bemidji, Minnesota, representing the United States...

)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK