With the Mixed Doubles event completed and the medals distributed, curling’s focus at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 turns to the women’s and men’s competitions.
The four-player events get underway at 20.05 on Wednesday 9 February with men’s round-robin play. This will be followed by the first session of women’s round-robin play at 9.05 on Thursday 10 February.
There will be ten women’s and ten men’s teams competing for Olympic medals in the Beijing National Aquatics Centre.
They have qualified either as the host nation, through World Championship 2021 performances or from the Olympic Qualification Event 2021.
The ten women’s teams are:
Qualified as hosts: China
Qualified directly from the World Women’s Curling Championship: Canada, Denmark, ROC, Sweden, Switzerland and United States
Qualified from the Olympic Qualification Event: Great Britain, Japan and Korea
The ten men’s teams are:
Qualified as hosts: China
Qualified directly from World Men’s Curling Championship: Canada, Great Britain, ROC, Sweden, Switzerland and United States
Qualified from final Olympic Qualification Event: Denmark, Italy and Norway
ROC is Russian Olympic Committee
Round-robin play will continue until the afternoon of Thursday 17 February to produce rankings and determine the top four teams in each competition.
In both the women’s and men’s events, these top four teams go onto the semi-finals. The men will play at 20.05 on Thursday 17 February, while the women’s semi-finals will take place at 20.05 on Friday 18 February.
In each case these games will feature 1 v 4 and 2 v 3.
The men’s semi-final losers will play for bronze medals at 14.05 on Friday 18 February, while the losing women’s teams will contest bronze medals at 20.05 on Saturday 19 February.
The men’s final will be staged at 14.05 on Saturday 19 February while the women’s gold medal will be played for at 9.05 on Sunday 20 February, the last day of the Games.
Meet the Teams
Women
Canada: Jennifer Jones leads the team who, with two changes in personnel, won Olympic Gold at the Olympic Winter Games 2014 in Sochi, Russia. The Jones team has also won two world titles, in 2008 and 2018.
China: This young team is skipped by 21-year-old Han Yu. She won Youth Olympic 2016 silver medal in Mixed Doubles. China’s third player Wang Rui is a two-time World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship medallist.
Denmark: Skip Madeleine Dupont, who carried the Danish flag at the opening Ceremony, makes her third Olympic appearance (Vancouver 2010, PyeongChang 2018), while her sister Denise chalks up a fourth Olympic campaign (Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010, PyeongChang 2018).
Great Britain: Skip Eve Muirhead carried the Great Britain flag at the Opening Ceremony, as she makes her fourth Olympic appearance (Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014 — bronze medal, PyeongChang 2018). The rest of this team are making their Olympic debuts. Representing their native Scotland, they won the European title in 2021. Second player Jennifer Dodds finished fourth in the Mixed Doubles event.
Korea: This team — skipped by Kim EunJung — took silver at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, in front of their home crown.
Japan: Team Japan, skipped by Fujisawa Satsuki, took bronze at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang and silver medal at the World Women’s Curling Championship in 2016, except for alternate player Ishizaki Kotomi. She, however, will make her third Olympic appearance after 2002 and 2010.
ROC: This team, under skip Alina Kovaleva, took silver at the World Women’s Curling Championship 2021. Kovaleva has an additional world silver (2017) and world bronze medal (2016) to her name.
Sweden: Team Anna Hasselborg is the reigning Olympic champions. This team also won world silver medals in 2018 and 2019. Second player Agnes Knochenhauer will make her third appearance on the Olympic stage after 2018 and 2014. In Sochi, she won a silver medal.
Switzerland: Skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni (who plays third stones), this team are two-time world champions (2019 and 2021).
United States: Skipped by Tabitha Peterson and featuring her younger sister Tara, this team were world bronze medallist in 2021.
Men
Canada: Skip Brad Gushue and third player Mark Nichols won gold at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. This team were world champions in 2017 and silver medallists in 2018, except for alternate played Marc Kennedy. However, Kennedy won Olympic gold in 2010, two world titles (2008 and 2016) and one world championship silver medal (2009).
China: 20-year-old Ma Xiuyue leads this young team representing the host nation.
Denmark: Skip Mikkel Krause was world junior champion in 2009. This team grabbed the last available Olympic slot at the Olympic Qualification Event in December 2021.
Great Britain: This team is making their Olympic debut. Playing as Scotland, they are the current European champions and World Championship silver medallists. Skip Bruce Mouat finished fourth in the Mixed Doubles event in Beijing. Alternate player Ross Whyte won Youth Olympic silver medal in Mixed Doubles in 2016 in Lillehammer.
Italy: Skip Joel Retornaz is making his third Olympic appearance, having filled the host nation slot in 2006 and then qualified in 2018. Playing at his second Olympic Games, third player Amos Mosaner became an Olympic Champion with a gold medal win in the Mixed Doubles event in Beijing. He also won silver at the 2012 Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.
Norway: This team is skipped by World Mixed Championship and Universiade gold medallist Steffen Walstad. Third player Torger Nergaard is curling’s most experienced Olympian, as this will be his sixth Olympic Games. He debuted on the Olympic stage at Salt Lake City in 2002 when he won gold as alternate in Pal Trulsen’s team. He also won silver at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Their alternate player Magnus Nedregotten won a silver medal in the Mixed Doubles event in Beijing. This team won the Olympic Qualification Event in the Netherlands in December 2021.
ROC: Skip Sergey Glukhov has made four world championship appearances, with a best result of fourth in 2021.
Sweden: This will be skip Niklas Edin’s fourth Olympic appearance, having taken bronze at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi and silver at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang. They are current three-peat world champions. Edin has won five world golds, one world silver medal and two world bronze medals. Third player Oskar Eriksson won a bronze medal in the Mixed Doubles event in Beijing.
Switzerland: This team is skipped by Peter de Cruz, who plays second stones. They were bronze medallists at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, except for third player Sven Michel — who skipped Switzerland at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi — and alternate Pablo Lachat. The Olympic bronze medallist members of the team also have four bronze medals from the world championships.
United States: With two changes in the line-up since their gold medal win at the PyeongChang Games four years ago, this team are the defending Olympic champions. Skip John Shuster, who carried the American flag at the Opening Ceremony, makes his fifth Olympic appearance, while third player Chris Plys finished eighth in the Mixed Doubles event in Beijing.
All times are China Standard Time (CST) which is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) +8 hours
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