2 May 2026
Wayne Middaugh and Team Lindholm inducted into World Curling Hall of Fame
Two induction ceremonies into the World Curling Hall of Fame were conducted on the last day of play at the ACE & Company World Mixed Doubles Championship 2026 and the ACE & Company World Senior Championships 2026 in Geneva.
Induction into the World Curling Hall of Fame is the highest ‘non-playing’ honour that World Curling can bestow on someone and recognises outstanding contribution to the sport of curling whether through on-ice achievements or off-ice endeavours.
Durling the gold medal finals at the World Seniors, Canada’s Wayne Middaugh was inducted by World Curling Chief Operating Officer Alan Chalmers.
In his citation, Alan said, “The World Curling Hall of Fame exists to celebrate those individuals who do more than just win games. It honours those who shape eras, who raise standards and who leave the sport better than they found it. And Wayne is a prime example of this.”
“Wayne’s competitive achievements place him firmly among curling’s elite. He competed at the highest levels of international play, earning world titles here in Geneva in 1993, in Kamloops in 1998 and then in Basel in 2012. His ability to excel in different team roles speaks to his commitment to the game and the success of his teams.”
Alan continued, “After his playing career, his contributions only grew. As a coach and mentor, he guided athletes to the highest level of the sport, including Sweden’s Olympic gold-medal winning Team Hasselborg at PyeongChang 2018.
“Throughout his career, Wayne has been an outstanding ambassador for curling, representing the sport with professionalism and integrity.”
In response, Wayne said, “Thank you for this great honour, but let me say if it wasn’t for all of my teammates, I wouldn’t be here.”
He added, “As we see at these championships, curling is the best team sport in the world.”
The other induction ceremony saw Sweden’s Team Lindholm honoured.
Speaking at this ceremony, World Curling President Beau Welling listed Team Lindholm’s achievements. The team consists of Peja Lindholm, Tomas Nordin, Magnus Swartling and Peter Narup.
In their stellar curling career, Team Lindholm have achieved three men’s world titles (1997 Berne, 2001 Lausanne, 2004 Gavle), two European titles (1998 Flims, 2001 Vierumaki), have made 8 World Championship appearances and represented Sweden together at three Olympic Games (1998, 2002, 2006).
Beau also touched on the team’s ambassadorial role and the respect in which they were held, by rivals and others in the sport.
Team Lindholm is now the fifth complete team to be inducted into the World Curling Hall of Fame and after the ceremony, skip Peja Lindholm said, “This means a lot. I mean winning a Europeans and winning a worlds is fantastic, but this summarises our career both on and off the ice.”
“I’m feeling very emotional because the last time I saw the team was ten years ago and now we’re here and it’s like we saw each other last week.”
Find out more about the World Curling Hall of Fame and previous inductees here.
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