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WNBA’s Sophie Cunningham Questions Curling’s Olympic Status

Her comments prompted outlets to explain curling’s rules plus Olympic history, highlighting its place on the program since 1998.

Overview

  • On the Show Me Something podcast, the Indiana Fever guard asked who decides what counts as a sport versus a hobby and why curling is an Olympic event.
  • She emphasized she did not intend to disparage curlers and acknowledged she could not do what they do.
  • Curling has been contested at the Winter Olympics for men and women since Nagano 1998, with teams sliding granite stones toward a target circle.
  • The United States has posted notable results in recent years, including men’s gold in 2018 and mixed-doubles silver in 2026.
  • Dirk Hannawald of Curling in Berlin defended curling as “chess on the ice,” citing its demands in athleticism, concentration, and strategy.