3 March 2023
World Curling inducts 2023 Hall of Fame recipients
The World Curling Federation is pleased to induct five new recipients into the World Curling Hall of Fame for 2023.
There will be two inductees the Builder category, Kate Caithness CBE from Scotland and Jack Lynch from Canada. There are then three inductees in the Athlete category, Ewan MacDonald and Peter Smith from Scotland and Bill Strum from the United States.
World Curling Federation President, Beau Welling said, “I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to all of our World Curling Hall of Fame 2023 inductees.
“I am delighted to see that Kate Caithness has been inducted at the first opportunity for tireless work in growing our sport around the world over the years. Without Kate’s dedication our sport would not be in the wonderful place we find ourselves. Our second builder inductee Jack Lynch was one of the key individuals in returning curling to the Olympic Winter Games and his contribution to our sport cannot be underestimated.
“The records on the ice of Scotland’s Ewan MacDonald and Peter Smith are deeply impressive. They became multiple World and European champions during their long and illustrious careers. Bill Strum, from the United States, holds the distinguished record of medalling in every World Championship he played, including three world titles.
“All of our 2023 inductees are extremely worthy recipients of the Freytag Award, which is the highest honour we can bestow in our sport.”
Inductees
Builder: Kate Caithness CBE (Scotland)
Kate Caithness CBE served as the World Curling Federation President for 12 years, from 2010 until 2022. Prior to her term as President, Caithness served four years as Vice-President.
Caithness was the driving force in the development of Wheelchair Curling and its inclusion in the Paralympic Winter Games. The Wheelchair World Championship trophy was recently changed and introduced for the 2022–2023 season as the Kate Caithness Salver.
In September 2022 Caithness was awarded the Olympic Order by International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach for her outstanding merit and faithfulness of the Olympic ideal.
Builder: Jack Lynch (Canada)
Born in 1929, John Charles Lynch, better known as “Jack”, was a sports enthusiast his entire life. Throughout the 90’s he was known for his journalism, primarily as the editor of the Curling Quebec magazine from 1990-1994 and he was the curling journalist at the Montreal Gazette from 1993-1997.
In 1988, Lynch was recruited by the International Curling Federation to help increase the Member Associations in order for the sport to gain Olympic medal status.
Lynch was also instrumental in the development of the zonal system still in place at the World Curling Federation today.
Athlete: Ewan MacDonald (Scotland)
Ewan MacDonald has represented Scotland and Great Britain in over 200 games on the international stage since 1997. He represented Great Britain at three Olympic Winter Games — 2002, 2006 and 2010 — finishing in fourth place in 2006.
MacDonald is a three-time world champion — 1999, 2006 and 2009 — and two-time European champion — 1999 and 2008 — with Scotland.
MacDonald represented Scotland in ten world championships, medalling in five with three gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal. He competed in six European Championships, adding one silver and one bronze medal to his two gold medals.
Athlete: Peter Smith (Scotland)
Peter Smith represented Scotland at 11 World Men’s Championships, nine European Championship, two World Junior Championships, and one World Senior Championships for a total of over 250 games.
He also represented Great Britain twice, when curling was an exhibition sport in 1988 and then again in 2010.
Smith is a three-time world champion — 1991, 2006, and 2009 — , also winning five silver medals and one bronze medal. Smith won a World Junior title, in 1986, and bronze medal in his two appearances, and a World Senior silver medal in his lone appearance in 2019.
Smith claimed the European title three times — 1988, 2007, and 2008 —, the silver medals three times and a single bronze medal.
Athlete: Bill Strum (United States)
Bill Strum represented the United States in the Scotch Cup, four World Championships and two Olympic Winter Games when curling was an exhibition sport. Strum medalled in every World Championship he competed.
Strum won the Scotch Cup in 1965 in his lone appearance, then went on to win two world titles in 1974 and 1978. Strum also claimed a world silver medal in 1969 and a world bronze medal in 1968.
In his two Olympic Games when curling was an exhibition sport, Strum finished in fourth place in 1988, then followed that with a third-place finish in 1992.
To find out more about the World Curling Hall of Fame click here.
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