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Waarom is curling een olympische sport?

Door Hanneke Rietberg Hanneke Rietberg
36
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op 12 januari 2010

vancouverlogo-200x238 Waarom is curling een olympische sport?Over een maand beginnen de Olympische Winterspelen in Vancouver. En dat vraagt natuurlijk om een goede voorbereiding, ook voor de kijker. Een beetje toeschouwer weet wat melons en moguls zijn en wanneer hij die kan verwachten.

Maar misschien heb je nog een andere prangende vraag die betrekking heeft op de Spelen – bijvoorbeeld waarom een sport als curling olympisch is, wat en wie nou die Rittberger is of waarom Noorwegen het altijd zo veel beter doet dan de rest van de landen, maar waarvan het antwoord niet zo makkelijk te googlen valt.

In de rubriek Next Question zullen we die tijdens de Spelen beantwoorden.

34 reacties op "Waarom is curling een olympische sport?"rss-icon

Waarom lange baan schaatsen olympisch is lijkt me een betere vraag. Het wordt maar in één land serieus beoefend.

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Leuke vraag! Jesse da’s wel wat makkelijk en een beetje bezijden de waarheid. Japan heeft momenteel een schaatshype en had dat ook 10 jaar geleden. En natuurlijk de Amerikanen, Italianen en Zweden. Kijk eens naar de uitslagen van alle langebaan wedstrijden internationaal en je ziet bij de eerste 10 altijd zo’n 5-6 verschillende landen. Tsja en dan curling. Als dat er bij blijft dan kun je ook darts en biljarten er bij halen op de Zomerspelen.

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Waarom curling? 
 
Why the hell not?

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Tiens.. 
het hoeft natuurlijk niet spannend te zijn, alshet maar sport is. 
Waarom geen IJsracen?  
Maar waar ik nog steeds me zit is een kwisvraag: 
Anton Geesink heeft zich ooit willen kwalificeren voor de winterspelen, maar in welke sport?

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Ik heb mij gek gezocht maar ik heb er niks over kunnen vinden, iemand een tip?

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Ja hij wilde zich kwalificeren voor “Judo on Ice”

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Als curling blijft, dan mag jeu de boules of petanque zoals de liefhebbers het noemen ook een Olympischesport worden. 
 
Er zal best behendigheid en strategisch inzicht voor nodig zijn, maar er is niets Olympisch aan!

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Waarom geen veldrijden, maken de Belgen ook weer eens kans.

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Marcel: 
 
Curling is athletic. Curling is cardiovascular. Curling is Olympic. 
 
You simply do not understand.

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Rob, veldrijden is Olympisch. Alhoewel niet op een gewone fiets maar op eem mountainbike. Misschien niet helemaal hetzelfde maar wel gelijkend.Denk ik als leek tenminste. 
And Curling News: many sports not on the Olympics, are athletic and cardiovascular. That is not the demand to become Olympic. It should be played in many countries and should appeal to the eye. Sorry but curling is like bowling, billiart and many other games played by a minimum of interested people. As far as I am informed there are 4 clubs in the Netherlands and 45 members of the World Curling Association amongst them the Virgin Islands and Andorra. No, for me nothing Olympic. Anyway, wish you good luck with brooming the ice!

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Frans: 
 
Suggesting that curling does not “appeal to the eye” is a very personal statement. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course, but you should really try a sport before you decide on its appeal. 
 
Just another suggestion.

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You are right Curling News. That’s why I played it 20 years ago and I must say, something for elderly, not for yong athletic people. I did not get tired from it neither was it exciting. It is for me like petanque/jeu de boules, nicely and quiet under an oak tree with your old friends from over 70 years old. Sorry, but nothing exciting about that game at all!

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Als curling een olympische sport is, dan kunnen ze bloksjoffelen ook wel een olympische sport maken!

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The Curling News, 
 
Can you give me an explanation why curling should stay Olympic? The entourage isn’t that good. It is a bit boring to watch, no cheering croud etcetera.

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Als de damesteams van Denemarken, Finland, Zweden en Noorwegen tegen elkaar spelen, wil ik jullie allemaal nog eens horen. Prima kijksport.

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Je begrijpt het niet Guus. Alle reageerders hier kennen de sport. En daarom hebben we kritiek. Het is lusteloos, langzaam, (zeer langzaam zelfs) en zeker NIET uitnodigend om naar te kijken, hooguit om eens zelfs te spelen. Jeu de Boules wordt toch ook niet uitgezonden?

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Hello again Frans: 
 
What does “entourage” mean? We think you are misusing that particular word. 
 
“No cheering crowd”? LOL. Shows what you know. First of all, you just insulted all live spectators at tennis and golf competitions. Of course, this is fine, because those aren’t real sports either, right? 
 
FYI, there is plenty of cheering during and between shots: the crowds simply quieten themselves prior to delivery of the stone, out of respect to the competitors. Ask the Olympians in Turin four years ago about the crowd behavior: the Italians, who clearly know about as much about curling as the Dutch, were acting like it was a Serie A match. But the players didn’t mind, they quickly adapted, and then enjoyed it.  
 
Look: we’re a little busy here… the Olympics are coming soon, okay? So why don’t you check out the home page (introduction page) of The Curling Guru, curlinguru.com, and also his “Olympic Curling” page? This might give you an idea of the attraction and interest of curling.  
 
It might… but you, Frans, have clearly made up your mind… 20 years ago! ROTFL :-) 
 
Best wishes… 
TCN

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Curling News. You are mixing up something because I did not write the word “entourage” nor did I speak about a “cheering crowd”. So it is obvious that you can play excellent Curling but not read. What is ROTFL?? Some US chat abbreviation?

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Sorry, clicked too fast on sent. Anyway, before I gave a reaction here I have surfed over the net and all kind of curling websites. Why you think I otherwise would know that there are 4 clubs in the Netherlands, 45 countries a member of the world association? I saw short historical films on the main webpage, I read and think they are set up professional. So I have informed myself as I will always do before commenting. 
It is just not my sport and obviously will never be a top sport in the Netherlands and worldwide.

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Frans, you have just made a very strong argument for why curling SHOULD be included in the Olympics. According to IOC rules: 
1 Olympic Sports included in the Programme of the Olympic Games 
1.1.2 only sports widely practised in at least twenty-five countries and on three continents may be included in the programme of the Olympic Winter Games. 
 
Perhaps you should be lobbying the IOC to change their inclusion criteria rather than picking on one sport. 
 
The Olympics create a “coming together” of nations that is truly remarkable, useful and wonderful. As it is, there are only 15 sporting disciplines in the Winter Olympics (compared to 26 in the 2012 Summer Olympics). To remove all disciplines that don’t have complete world participation (or even only parts of the world that have a cold enough winter) would diminish the Olympics to a degree that would make it far less interesting. 
 
Perhaps it is partly our Canadian way to be inclusive and accepting of people from all races, interests and backgrounds that makes us more interested in seeing sports like curling keep their Olympic status, and not just the fact that we’re good at it. ;) 
 
We can all learn from each other by including events in our world festivals that we might otherwise not be exposed to.

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Rolling On The Floor Laughing. You can also add a “MAO” to that, and the meaning is available on a Google search. 
 
Thanks for the tag TCN. Some of these guys wouldn’t care that Holland scored gold in the B-Pool of the recent European Curling Championships, in fact that might prompt them to make fun of their own countrymen. Such is life in curling, as you know. 
 
Frans’ opinion is respected. However other Dutchmen (and women) who love curling may try to change his mind, not just fans from North America. One has already found this blog thread.

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and life in curling also means not to apologise? Don’t use other remarks and comment on it towards me. Read it or be silent. End of conversation.

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Frans: Sorry to upset you; our last comments should have been directed to Kempi. We have no problem apologizing, without reservation!

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Als je niet moe bent geworden van curling, heb je waarschijnlijk niet erg je best gedaan. Maar het is inderdaad geen sport waar het puur draait om kracht en uithoudingsvermogen, wel een combinatie van tactiek, precisie en teamwork. Dat maakt het Olympisch. Persoonlijk vind ik een stuk boeiender om naar te kijken dan bijvoorbeeld langebaanschaatsen (en volgens mij zijn er ook niet heel veel meer landen die dat beoefenen).

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Curling is a game that is easy to play, but difficult to master. It is unique in the way people of all ages, different sexes & with disabilities can all play the same playing field. The game has the strategy of chess, the skill of golf and the team dynamics of rowing or sailing each is so dependent on their team mates. 
Yes it can be a relaxing Sunday afternoon activity, but th best in the world are athletic, intelligent and personable people. 
It does in fact require many more attibutes than most olympic sports, and is very tightly contested. 
I’ve played for 35 years, my daughters have started at 8 yrs old and my grandafther stopped at 82 yrs. You are of course entitled to your opionion about this great game, if a person doesn’t like it that’s ok too, but I believe that’s their loss. 
 
Adrian 
Wales (another minority curling nation)

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Hello all! 
 
As a member of the Dutch mens team I couldn’t resist entering this discussion :-) 
 
No, curling is not very popular in Holland (yet?). It must the fact that is unknown here and the sweeping  
looks odd when you’re not familiar with the sport. Sweeping is for cleaning the floor at home! I get a lot of funny comments from people around me when I tell them I play curling. I don’t mind, because I am used to it by now :-) But when I tell about what curling really is, most people start to get interested and want to know all about it! 
 
But should curling be Olympic? Well, what makes a sport Olympic? In my opinion, there are 3 important factors: 
1) a real toplevel sport 2) widely spread across the world 3) good to watch. 
 
Curling has everything a toplevel sport should have. To be a topteam you have to invest a lot of effort. You have to be fit and strong to be a good sweeper and to stay focussed for 2.5 hours. Or play 14 games in 7 days, like we did at the European C’ships. You have to practise a lot to get your delivery technique right, be intelligent for strategy and have to be mentally strong to deal with pressure. And throwing the last rock for the gold medal IS pressure.. Like shooting a penalty in the 92nd minute in soccer, 1-1 on the scoreboard.. Team dynamics are also really important. Being a good team takes years of practising and playing games. Small differences in the things mentioned above can decide if you win or loose a game at toplevel. 
 
Is curling widely spread across the world? I think there’s no question about that. Curling is played in Northern America, Europe, Asia, Australia.. Ok, not in Africa or Southern America, but what wintersport is…? 
 
Good to watch? In my opinion, when you understand the game and tactics, it is great to watch. You see beautiful shots, interesting strategy and the tension can be thrilling! 
 
I’m looking forward to your comments on this post!

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Interesting discussion this. I can see that someone playing for fun, just as recreation, might not sweat a lot. Not sweep well, either. And, in fact, not doing very precise deliveries repeatedly. Maybe even doing bad choises tactically quite often, because who has time to put in the effort to really understand the game? Especially if it was 20 years ago they did it and the market interest was fairly low.  
 
A lot has happened since then, I am quite sure that everyone can understand that. The fantastic thing about curling is that everyone can play and enjoy it. Even more fantastic is the possibility to constantly improve oneself within the sport. I am today 45 years old and started out five years old. I have played curling for fun, which didn’t claim too much effort, but for 20 years I played competative curling. I practised on ice 4 days a week, lifted weights three evenings a week and ran as many times a week. I spent most of my screen-time watching games to get tactic improvement and made sure to have good mentors to discuss this with. Still, I have never won the Europeans, Worlds or Olympics.  
 
What I am trying to say is that curling on a top level is very demanding cost wise, time wise and effort wise. Still, it is all worth it because it is fun and stimulating.  
 
I hope that you all will get enough input about and understanding of the game to enjoy the tv time during the Olympics. Just watching the planned hit and roll (promotion take out?)by Hammy in the Europeans or the fantastic Youtube clips from the Briars give me the chills – and what will the coming Olympics add? I am proud of Netherlands as a curling nation and hope that many more will try this fantastic sport!

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Thank you, Curling News, Moose, Adrian, Marcel and Suzy! 
I think you all made very wise comments on our fabulous sport. Of course everyone is entitled to his or her own view on anything. But Frans, if your latest curling experience dates from 20 years ago, I would suggest you try again some time soon… The world around you changes!

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Another comment is located at: bit.ly/6ppgkn … and we hope Dutch sports fans enjoy the photo manipulation; Dutch curlers would love to see this sight someday!

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Curling niet populair onder jongeren?!  
Het is maar wat je er zelf van maakt:  
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2s06Zn-UY

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Most has already been said, but if you really want proof about how wrong you really are about this being a sport for old folks only, take a look at the Olympic teams for Great Britain and Germany, both of which have team members younger than 20 years of age… I haven’t even looked into the age of any other the other participants, but I’m sure that, if you look carefully, you’ll see there are more countries with young curlers, participating at the highest level of competition (even our own dutch women’s team)… 
 
As a new curler, trying it out once (and 20 years ago at that, when the sport was still petty much in its infancy in the Netherlands), you shouldn’t expect to fully grasp how intense a sport this can be. It can actually be quite demanding, physically and mentally, to compete at the top. Perhaps as a recreational game, it doesn’t seem exhausting, but then is skating? Is skiing? If done only for recreational purposes, those are really not much of a sport either. Just like taking a walk in the park: It’s exercise, but it’s not a sport. Now, if you would go jogging or practice for your next marathon participation, running through that same park, it turns it into a sport. The same is true for the difference between recreational curling and competitive curling. Either try (and experience) the competitive side of a sport, or withhold your judgement. 
 
Personally, I really like watching the game (watched about 2/3s of the sessions of the Olympic round robin), especially because I like to think for myself what I would play in a given situation. Perhaps others don’t like it. I think that’s mostly in not understanding what is going on, and not taking the time to watch and learn. Here too, judgement is passed too quickly, without a firm grasp of what the sport is really all about.

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Good evening, 
 
In fact this was a good read, I am really glad that curling is being very popular in Netherlands and that is a good thing 
 
Thanks 
 
Katie

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Waarom? Waarom niet?? Curling is een olympische sport. Het is heel interessant en luek. Ik ben blij dat Nederland het aannemen van dit als een sport net als voetbal. 
 
Curling is just as interesting to watch and play. It may not be as “intense” as the other winter sports but it’s still a great game.

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