How much does a wheelchair curling stone weigh?

The greatest challenge for every player is to position the stone as close to the centre as possible. In wheelchair curling, every stone must be played with the utmost precision since sweeping is not permitted. With the help of the so-called “stick” or “extender scope”, the stone can be played out of the wheelchair giving direction and spin to it while a team mate is allowed to stabilise the chair of the player.

Wheelchair curling rules are very similar able-bodied Curling rules. The object of the sport is to slide stones with handles across the ice, aiming for them to come to a stop on a target, called the house, which is marked by four concentric circles. The lead delivers the first stone and the play continues with each athlete delivering two stones alternating with the opposing team. Placing the stone inside the house means earning a possible point.

Each team must include male and female players. The team is made up of four players: the lead, the second, the third (vice skip) and the skip. The latter is the team captain who determines the tactics and strategy of the game. However, all team members jointly discuss how to play the next stone. The objective is to place every stone closer to the center ("tee") than any other stone from the opposing team.

The first World Wheelchair Curling Championships were held in January 2002 and in March that year, the International Paralympic Committee granted official medal status to wheelchair curling for mixed gender teams. The sport made its Paralympic debut in Torino in 2006 and is open to male and female athletes who have a physical impairment in the lower half of their body, including spinal-cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and double-leg amputation. The sport is now practiced in 24 different countries.

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