Wheelchair Curling: The Paralympic Sport and How to Play Seated in the UK

What is wheelchair curling?

Wheelchair curling is an adaptation of curling for players whose impairment affects at least one lower limb. It is played from a seated position using the same granite stones, sheet of ice and circular target, known as the house, as the standing game.

The objective is also identical: finish an end with your stones closer to the centre of the house, or button, than your opponent’s closest stone.

If you already understand how curling is played, most of wheelchair curling will feel familiar.

Wheelchair curling became a Paralympic medal sport at Turin 2006 and has featured at every Paralympic Winter Games since. World Curling oversees the sport, with one of the most important differences from traditional curling being that sweeping is not permitted.

In the four-player format, teams are mixed gender and must meet the competition’s gender requirements throughout the game.

Mixed doubles wheelchair curling uses teams of two players and made its Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina 2026 after previously being established at World Championship level.

How is wheelchair curling played?

Two teams take turns delivering stones towards the house at the opposite end of the sheet. At the conclusion of each end, only one team can score.

The team with the stone closest to the button scores one point for that stone and another point for each additional stone it has positioned closer to the button than its opponent’s nearest stone.

A standard wheelchair curling game consists of eight ends.

In the four-player format, each player delivers two stones per end, giving each team eight stones and producing 16 deliveries in total. Teams establish their playing order before the game, including who will act as skip and vice-skip, and retain that order during play.

Mixed doubles uses a different format. Each team has two players and delivers five stones during an end. In addition, one stone from each team is positioned on the sheet before the first delivery.

That means every mixed doubles end begins with stones already in play. Rather than spending the opening deliveries building the end from scratch, players immediately have guards, draws, take-outs and scoring positions to consider.

Once a stone has been released, there is no sweeping to change its speed or direction. The player therefore needs to judge weight, line and rotation during the delivery itself.

The final-stone advantage remains important too. Understanding why the hammer matters in curling helps explain many of the tactical decisions teams make throughout an end.

How do you deliver a curling stone from a wheelchair?

A wheelchair curling stone can be delivered either by hand or with a delivery stick. In both cases, the wheelchair must remain stationary during the delivery.

A hand delivery involves the player leaning from the chair and pushing the stone along the ice. It follows many of the same principles as a conventional curling delivery, but without the slide from the hack.

A delivery stick is a pole with an attachment that fits around the stone handle. The player uses it to push the stone while applying rotation to the handle.

That rotation is essential because it produces the characteristic movement that gives curling its name. The stone gradually curls across the ice as it travels towards the house.

A teammate may help stabilise the wheelchair during a delivery. This allows the player throwing the stone to concentrate on producing a controlled, repeatable action.

Without the leg drive, sliding delivery or sweeping used in traditional curling, accuracy depends heavily on consistency. A slight difference in the force of the push can determine whether a stone reaches the house, finishes perfectly on a guard or stops short of its intended position.

WheelPower also points out that beginners do not necessarily need a specialist sports wheelchair to try the game. An everyday wheelchair can be suitable, provided the wheels are clean before going onto the ice.

What are the rules of wheelchair curling?

Wheelchair curling follows many of the same principles as traditional curling, but several rules are particularly important.

Sweeping is not permitted. Once a stone has been delivered, players cannot use a brush to influence how far it travels or how much it curls.

Games are normally played over eight ends, while competition rules also govern matters such as playing time, timeouts and the way stones must be delivered.

World Curling sets the official rules used at international level, including wheelchair-specific delivery and timing requirements.

One important delivery rule applies when a player throws from the area between the house and the near hog line. The stone must be positioned within the permitted distance of the centre line and released before reaching the hog line.

Wheelchair curling also uses a single eligible sport class for international competition. Athletes must meet the required impairment and mobility criteria, but unlike some Paralympic winter sports, competitors are not separated into numerous classes during play.

Eligible impairments can include conditions affecting muscle power, passive range of movement, coordination and limb function.

Because every competitor plays from a stationary seated position, tactical judgement, accuracy and repeatability become particularly important. The strategic side of the sport is explored further in our guide to curling strategy and why the game is often called chess on ice.

Do you have to use a wheelchair to play seated curling?

You need to meet the relevant eligibility criteria to compete in Paralympic wheelchair curling, but you do not need to be a Paralympic athlete to experience curling from a seated position.

ParalympicsGB explains the mobility requirements that apply to athletes competing in wheelchair curling at Paralympic level.

Recreational curling is much more flexible.

Seated curling, stick curling and Paralympic wheelchair curling are related, but they are not necessarily the same thing. Players may use a delivery stick or throw from a seated position for a variety of reasons, including mobility, balance or simply because that delivery method is more suitable for them.

Scottish Curling supports inclusive opportunities involving stick and wheelchair curling and encourages wheelchair users to participate within the wider curling club network.

For someone who simply wants to try curling from a seated position, Paralympic classification rules should not be viewed as a barrier to recreational participation.

Where can you play wheelchair curling in the UK?

Scotland remains the centre of curling in Great Britain, with a much more established network of clubs, facilities and competitive opportunities.

Finding curling ice in England is more difficult.

The English Curling Association, which has governed curling in England since 1971, identifies only a very small number of regular opportunities to play the sport on dedicated curling ice in England.

These include The Flower Bowl near Preston, where curling is available throughout the year, and curling sessions at Cambridge Ice Arena during the main winter season.

Scotland, by comparison, has a far larger network of curling facilities and clubs.

The problem is not simply a lack of ice rinks. Curling requires a particularly flat and consistently prepared ice surface, and rink operators must also allocate time that could otherwise be used for activities such as public skating or ice hockey. That can make regular curling sessions difficult to establish on multi-purpose ice.

Wheelchair curlers in England can also access opportunities through organisations including the English Wheelchair Curling Association, while Scottish Curling provides a substantial network of clubs and inclusive programmes north of the border.

Floor curling offers another way to experience the principles of the sport without travelling to a dedicated ice rink.

It is important to distinguish floor curling from Paralympic wheelchair curling. Floor curling is played on a smooth indoor surface using adapted stones rather than on ice, so it is not the Paralympic discipline.

For seated players, however, it can provide a highly accessible introduction to delivering stones, judging weight, choosing lines and developing curling tactics.

At The Curling Club, our ice-free curling venues offer accessible lanes, with accessibility sticks available for players who would prefer or need to deliver from a seated position.

How did Great Britain perform at Milano Cortina 2026?

Great Britain competed in both wheelchair curling disciplines at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

The Games took place from 6 to 15 March 2026 and included the Paralympic debut of wheelchair mixed doubles.

Great Britain has previously won two Paralympic wheelchair curling medals: silver at Turin 2006 and bronze at Sochi 2014.

At Milano Cortina 2026, the British mixed team led by Hugh Nibloe endured a difficult round-robin campaign, while Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean came much closer to progressing in the new mixed doubles competition.

The doubles pair remained in contention for a place in the knockout stages before missing out following a tightly fought finish.

More information on the British team at the Games can be found in the Milano Cortina 2026 Great Britain guide.

Wheelchair curling may now have been part of the Paralympic programme for more than two decades, but the sport continues to develop. The addition of mixed doubles at Milano Cortina represented another significant step in that evolution.

You can also explore how curling developed from Chamonix to Milano Cortina to see how both the Olympic and Paralympic versions of the sport have changed over time.

Try seated curling for yourself

You do not need to be preparing for the Paralympic Games to experience the challenge of delivering a curling stone from a seated position.

Although dedicated curling ice remains difficult to access in much of England, ice-free curling provides another way to practise the fundamentals of the sport. Players can work on weight, direction, accuracy and tactics without needing to travel to a specialist curling rink.

Our venues are designed to make the game accessible, with delivery sticks available for players who want or need to play seated.

Find out what to expect from an ice-free curling session and see how close you can get to the button.