MILAN —Curlinghas emerged as a cult classic at theWinter Olympics.
The U.S. will be represented in all three curling events the2026 Milan Cortina Games, with Team Casper competing in the men's curling event afterJohn Shuster'sbid to compete at his sixth consecutive Winter Games fell short. Team Peterson and the duo of Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin will also represent Team USA in the women's curling event and mixed doubles, respectively.
All three teams will look to win Team USA's first curling medal in eight years. The U.S. has only won two curling medals in Olympic history, most notably a gold medal won by Team Shuster in the men's event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. The U.S. hasn't made the Olympic podium in the women's or mixed doubles events.
Meet Korey Dropkin, Mixed doubles curler for Team USA
When did curling become a Winter Olympic sport?
Men's curling was part of the inaugural 1924 Chamonix Winter Games, but it was held as a demonstration event in 1932 at Lake Placid, in 1988 at Calgary and in 1992 at Albertville. Men and women's curling were officially added to the program for the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games, while mixed doubles made its debut at Pyeongchang in 2018.
How does Olympiccurlingwork?
Two teams of four people each take turns gliding 44-pound stones down a sheet of ice toward a target that looks like a bullseye. Each match features six to 10 rounds, called ends. The stones have a handle on them, so when they are released, they curl down the ice. As the stone glides toward the target, players sweep the ice in front of it, which can affect the direction and the speed of the stone.
During each round, teams take turns throwing eight rocks, and the team with the rock or rocks closest to the center of the target wins the end. Players can throw guards to block the target, draws to try to score or takeouts to remove the opponent's stones as each end plays out. There are three curling events:
Men's curling
Women's curling
Mixed doubles
Who are the top Team USA athletes incurling?
Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin: The duo is set to make its Olympic debut in mixed doubles at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Games after becoming the first U.S. mixed doubles team to win gold at the world championships in 2023. Thiesse will also represent Team U.S. in the women's curling event.
Danny Casper: The 24-year-old skipper leads Team Casper, which dethroned Team Shuster at the 2025 U.S. Olympic Curling Trials. Team Casper is also made up of Luc Violette (third), Ben Richardson (second), Aidan Oldenburg (lead) and Rich Ruohonen (alternate).
Tabitha Peterson: The 36-year-old skipper leads Team Peterson, which won the 2025 U.S. Olympic Curling Trials and earned the final berth in the women's competition in the 2026 Winter Games. Team Peterson also includes Cory Thiesse (third), Tara Peterson (second) and Taylor Anderson-Heide (lead).
International landscape
Canada holds the most Olympic curling medals with 12 overall, including six gold medals between all events, the most of any country. Sweden is a close second with 11 total medals and four golds, including a gold in the men's event in Beijing 2022, in addition to a bronze in the women's event and mixed doubles.
Olympic curling schedule
Feb. 4-10: Mixed doubles round robin with semifinals on Feb. 9 and medal games on Feb. 10.
Feb. 11-19: Men's and women's round robin
Feb. 19: Men's semifinals
Feb. 20: Women's semifinals; men's bronze medal game
Feb. 21: Women's bronze medal game; men's gold medal game
Feb. 22: Women's gold medal game
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Curling at 2026 Winter Olympics: How it works, what to know
